Aprender: To Learn
by zefron-zefroff
Summary: Upon their arrival back at the G.L.E.E., Up, Taz & the crew are charged with treson and murder. But what do any of them know about the law? Well there's always time to learn some new tricks... *Author previously named HuskerChick* HIATUS
1. No me gusta Aprender

"Taz, you know this is against the—" Up stopped talking when he saw the distressed state that Taz was in. The collar of her pajama shirt was damp with what Up suspected were tears, but he wasn't going to bring up the subject.

"Callate la boca," Taz muttered as she pushed her way past Up and into his room.

"Taz, is this about the trial?" Up asked worriedly. He remained at the door as Taz walked over to his bed and plopped down. "You know that they'll find us innocent. I mean, we didn't even do anything! It was that bug and her larva, or whatever Bug said."

"It is the Galactic League against 8 rangers, Up. We don't stand a chance! None of us know the law—other than what we were required to learn. They'll crush us like una cucaracha!" Taz grabbed Up's pillow and ripped it clear in two. The goose feathers littered Taz's lap.

Up gathered his courage and joined Taz on his bed. He put his arm around her waist, and waited to see if this was the wrong move. Taz melted into his shoulder right away.

Up cleared his throat after a long—yet far from awkward—silence. "There's only one way to fix that, then." Taz looked up to Up's solemn yet loving expression that shined down on her. "We're gonna have to become expert attorneys at law, if there's any hope in saving our hides."

Taz looked disdainful at the thought of spending hours learning _the law_ of all things. Taz had always disliked bookwork—she was a girl of action.

"Must I? No me gusta aprender," she whined.

Up couldn't help but laugh at Taz acting like a little girl. He squeezed her closer to him. "Hush up, Tazzie." Taz scowled at the nickname.

Up released Taz and laid down on his mattress. She laid down next to him a second later. Due to the lack of a pillow, she decided that Up could double as one.

"D'ya know what date the th'trial is?" Up asked. He couldn't recall them telling him.

"July 20th," Taz said disdainfully.

Up didn't know if the date was sooner or farther away than he had expected. It _was _5 months. From what Up knew, that wasn't much time to set up a whole trial against 8 people. But it might be enough time for the 8 of them to gather their senses enough to actually have a shot.

"Jou know what I heard?" Up shook his head. "I heard that they are saying our crimes of conspiracy against the Galactic League are punishable by death. That is what Crux told me."

So that's what brought on her impromptu visit at 1 A.M.

"Crux is full of bullshit, and you know it. He don't know squat about the rules."

Taz buried her face in the crook of his neck. He heard her say something, but he couldn't make any words out. He felt his skin growing wet—presumably with tears.

"C'mon Taz. This ain't worth your tears. We still got time. Don't you worry your pretty little head." This bought him a punch in the ribs from Taz.

She stayed silent for a while. Up let her have her space to think while he got her a glass of Kool-Aid (it was her favorite drink, as learned from a previous mission to Earth). He set it down on the nightstand next to her.

"Hey Up?"

"Yeah?"

She looked sheepish, in a way. "Would jou mind if I slept here tonight. I can sleep on the couch—"

Up shook his head. "No way I'm lettn' you sleep on some dingy couch." Up walked over to his closet and pulled out a spare pillow.

Taz scampered under the covers, and Up chuckled. He climbed in next to her and pulled her up onto his stomach; she didn't protest.

"G'night, Taz," Up said and he ruffled her hair slightly.

"Buenos noches," Taz whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heyyyy. I'm getting back into the swing of fanfic writing! It's been much too long. P.S: 'the trial' is something that I'll go into more later, but here's it in brief: February, Bug, Krayoner, Specs, Megagirl, Tootsie Megagirl, Taz & Up are all being charged with treson against the G.L.E.E. for accusing it of planning the whole Bug World thing & they're being charged with the murder of Junior. It'll be explained more in later chapters.**

**HuskerChick**


	2. Mi Roca

That next morning Taz left early in the morning to avoid gossip from the other rangers. _That _was the last thing she needed right now.

She and the other accused rangers were going to meet over lunch to discuss their plan of attack, and then later that evening there was to be another meeting with Galactic officials to discuss more trial details.

Though they would be discussing the fate of her life, Taz found these meetings rather boring. She'd already sat through two of them, and it was barely her 3rd day back at the Galactic HQ.

Taz opted out of breakfast, protesting that she despised breakfast foods. She was lying.

Instead, Taz went to one of the less favorable training facilities. It had less high tech equipment than the others, and it had much less square footage than them too. But this never bothered Taz. All she needed was a punching bag and a few bench presses to please her.

She was dressed in her casuals—grey shorts and a white tank top to match. She wore no shoes. Taz always preferred to fight barefoot—that is, if she was at an indoor gym.

She went to the far corner where 'her' punching bag lived. She had long ago vandalized it with the word 'Taz' in bright red paint. It was a warning to all the other rangers that this punching bag was not to be used by anyone other than herself.

Taz was dreading the meeting with the Galactic League Leaders. She knew that there wasn't a chance in hell of anyone believing their story—not with Dr. Space-Claw pitting everyone against them for the 'murder' of his son.

It was muy ridiculó. She didn't deserve this. Up didn't deserve this. It was his first assignment since _the _accident, dead-goddamn it. He shouldn't be faced with an estúpido trial for something he didn't do.

Taz muttered to herself in Spanish, trying to grasp a hold of the situation. She knew that this was way beyond anything she could understand. Never—as far as records show—has there ever been a corrupt leader in the G.L.E.E. Why must she be stuck with the first?

Taz cursed when her beeper went off to tell her to go eat. She threw one last punch before grabbing her belongings and heading back to her cabin.

Taz didn't bother showering—these people have seen worse of her than just _sweaty_. There was no need to get clean and everything to go and eat with people who see you bleed.

Taz just toweled off the surface sweat and changed into a fresh tank top before heading up to the cafeteria.

She looked around and saw February, Bug and Specs sitting together, so she went and joined them.

"Hola," Taz said blandly.

February looked as though she hadn't slept since their arrival back at HQ. Bug and Specs were in similar conditions.

"Oh, Taz! What's gonna happen to me? I can't go to space jail! They don't have hot showers, or honey almond shampoo or curling irons or anything!" February wailed. Bug rubbed her back gently, attempting to quiet her.

"Callate," Taz said more harsh than necessary.

Taz took the empty seat next to Bug and grabbed one of the touchscreen menus from the centre of the table. She wasn't all that hungry, so she just ordered a turkey sandwich with water.

Her food came over on a moving tray—powered by robots, most likely—and Taz picked absentmindedly at it.

They were joined by Tootsie and Megagirl not long after. Tootsie was too stupid to realize the gravity of what was about to happen to them, so he was smiling and making go-go eyes at his new wife. Megagirl hadn't quite downloaded the correct emotions for this situation, so she, too, was acting her usual self.

Everyone was quiet until Krayoner and Up finally joined them. They looked grim.

Up sat down next to me and took my hand under the table. I needed the moral support, so I didn't pull back.

"So Commander, what're we going to do?" Bug asked. "We gotta have some kind of plan going in there, or we're toast!"

"I gotta grandpa named Toast!" Tootsie boasted gleefully. Everyone glared.

"I think," Up said, "that we need knowledge on the law. We can't just go in there and hope that everything'll work out just 'cause it's the truth; We need to know how to say what happened in a way that won't make us look like a bunch of lyin' dumbasses."

"Up's right." Taz cast a glance next to her. "We gotta fight fire with fire! If they gonna use all their fancy law knowledge, then we gotta use _our _fancy law knowledge! We gotta be up at their level!"

"Like, yea!" February cried.

Krayoner interjected to their rally cries. "But, have any of us ever actually _taken _a Justice System class? 'Cause my bud back at the academy took one, and it looked hard as hell to remember all that stuff! With all of their 'section 60 clause number 7' shit."

"Well, do'you want to face them looking like a dumb fuck knowing nothing about what's goin' on?" Up demanded. Krayoner just cowered back in his seat. "That's what I thought."

Everyone sat silent after Up's outburst. Taz was thinking.

"Well, you know, they probably gonna put us in quarantine until the trial. We could probably learn the ways of the law there. It's not like we got anything better to do," Taz said quietly. Everyone faced the hard truth that she had said: they were probably going to have to kiss their current lives goodbye. Even if by some miracle they made it out of the trial without the death sentence, they'd still have to serve time in space jail. On top of the 5 months in the quarantine.

"Let's just wait until after the meeting, and then decide how we're gonna play our cards," Up said grimly. Everyone nodded in agreement. Somehow, even Tootsie and Megagirl understood that this was no time for fun, and their smiles were gone.

* * *

><p>After their lunch, he had returned to his cabin alone. He tried reading one of the Spanish folktale books that Taz had gifted to him in an attempt to teach him a little Spanish (so he could understand her when she went off on her Spanish rages), but he was too distracted to concentrate on the foreign language. He ended up lying on the couch, cuddling one of Taz's shirts that somehow ended up in his closet.<p>

It smelled of Taz, whatever her scent may be comprised of. Whatever it was, he liked it.

He hoped that if—but most likely when—he got put in the quarantine, he could at least be with Taz. It would be unbearable without her.

* * *

><p>The meeting came all too quickly for Taz. She wouldn't admit this to anyone, but she was extremely frightened by the level of uncertainty that came with the meeting. She had no clue what the nature of this meeting would be. But she had a sinking feeling that she wasn't going to like it.<p>

The 8 rangers had been told to wait on a couch just down the hall from the hearing room. The couch was much too small for all 8 to fit on though, so Up and Taz opted to stand instead.

"Jou nervous?" Taz asked Up quietly.

He looked down on her and responded with: "Would'ja think less of me if I were?"

"Of course not, you idiota." Taz hesitated for a moment before saying meekly, "I'm nervous too."

Up gently put his hand around her waist and pulled her close in a half-hug. Taz was grateful that February was too distracted with listing all the things she was going to miss when she went to space jail to notice, otherwise she'd be all over them.

"What if they do put us in the quarantine?" asked Taz. "I won' be able to stand it, being in one room until de trial. It'll be hell."

"Taz, don't be so negative. We gotta trust that they won't use the quarantine. I mean, in all my years at the Galactic League, not once have I seen someone put in the quarantine," Up reassured. "You got nothing to worry about. So quit fillin' your head with dumb thoughts."

Taz glared at him, but she was grateful for his words of encouragement. If she was to face the entire corrupted Galactic League, she was glad she could face it all with Up.

Taz knew she would never be able to tell him this—it would be much to large of the pressure on his shoulders—but in that moment she decided him to be her rock. He would be the one to make sure that she didn't lose herself in la locura.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another chapter. I'm hoping to make them gradually longer until they reach around 2,000 words per chap. But I'm unsure of when I'll reach that point.**

**HuskerChick**


	3. Exilio

"Please be seated," Head Admiral Frost said. The 8 accused rangers took their seats in the defendant chairs. Taz sat in between Up, who wore a blank expression, and February, who was straining not to cry.

"Rear Admiral Jopes, please read the charges," Dr. Space-Claw ordered from his large seat in the center of the room.

"The Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration rangers Up Gordon, Taz Ordoñez, Simon Krayoner, Julia Venom, February Anders, Ultrabeam Megagirl, Tootsie Megagirl and the alien known as Bug are being charged with treason for accusing the Head of the Galactic League of conspiracy and for murder in the first degree of Junior Space-Claw," Rear Admiral Jopes rambled off.

Taz suddenly felt very sick.

Rear Admiral Jopes continued. "The Galactic League has set the trial date for July 20th. Dr. Space-Claw will be representing the prosecution team. The accused rangers and alien will be representing themselves in the court of law." He sat down once he had finished.

Dr. Space-Claw cleared his voice, and everyone turned to look at him. "The Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration Criminal Justice council have met at an earlier date, and we are here to read the consensus that they have come to as to what to do with the defendants."

Up grabbed Taz's hand that was lying limp by her side, and squeezed it hard. This was the moment of truth.

"As for Up Gordon, as of right now he is being stripped of his title as Commander and is no longer the head of Starship A-51." Up's faced stayed like stone. "Taz Ordoñez is being stripped of her title as Lieutenant and is also being removed from Starship A-51."

This was like a punch in the gut. Taz had worked for 10 laborious years to earn her title as Lieutenant. She had worked hard to get onto the crew of Starship A-51, the most high tech starship of the entire Galactic League's fleet of ships. And it had all been snatched from her based on the decision of 4 officials. Taz let a lone tear fall down her cheek.

"Ensigns Simon Krayoner, Tootsie Megagirl and Julia Venom are also removed from Starship A-51, as is scientist February Anders. Ultrabeam Megagirl is as of right now out of commission." They all choked back cries of protest.

Then came the final blow. "You will all be sent to the Galactic League base unit X702 to await the trial."

"No, you idiota! No vamos a X702! Es para los criminales! No estamos criminales! Es muy estúpido!" Taz spouted out in Spanish. "Estan idiotas! Todo—" Taz was shot with a dart, which she quickly assumed was a tranquilizer dart. She probably had 30 seconds left.

"Quiet _Ensign Taz_," Head Admiral Frost spat.

Taz sat back in her seat before she collapsed on the floor. "Goodnight, _Ensign_," Dr. Space-Claw mocked before she blacked out.

* * *

><p>Up knew something bad was going to happen once Taz started spouting out her Spanish-mouth of hers.<p>

Once the tranquilizers had taken effect on Taz, Up grabbed her arm and held her from toppling out of her chair. Everyone's eyes turned back to the council so that they could continue to pile on the bad news.

Up still couldn't believe that he wasn't a commander anymore. He could barely remember a time when he _wasn't _commander. But now he was back at the bottom again. He was a pathetic Ensign. And worse more, he was going to base unit X702. That was the Galactic League's dungeon. He had only ever been there once with Taz to drop off a few captives.

Now the tables have turned.

"You will be deported from the HQ tomorrow at noon. An officer will be assigned to accompany you until then to make sure there isn't any," Head Officer Burkes paused to find the correct word, "funny business. You will each be issued one bag to pack with some personal belongings. Bear in mind that these bags will be screened upon entering base unit X702."

"Any final questions?" Head Admiral Frost asked smugly. The rangers stayed silent. "You are dismissed."

Everyone was extremely reluctant to salute their higher officers before leaving, but they did anyway.

Up cradled Taz loosely in his arms. The effects of the tranquilizer wouldn't wear off for another 10 minutes at the very least.

He decided that he should be with her when she woke up, so that he could calm her rage down and everything, so he walked her back over to his cabin. The presence of the two security officers they had been assigned was very obvious. Up vaguely remembered teaching them during his brief spell as a teacher. Collins and Vasquez, he remembered their names to be. He snorted bitterly.

Up punched in the security code to his cabin and waited to close the door; he wanted to see what the officers would do. Up was grateful that they simply stood on either side of his door.

Up punched the _door close _button on the control panel and shuffled over to his bed, where he laid Taz.

Up decided to utilize his spare time and decide what would be most important to bring, and what he could live without.

He walked over to the bookshelf that contained virtually all his possessions. He grabbed the Spanish folktale book and threw it into the duffle bag. He grabbed his _Karate Kid_ DVD as well; he didn't want to part with it. He and Taz had shared too many good memories whilst watching it.

He scanned the other shelves. He grabbed the small frame that was on one of the upper shelves. Inside was a tiny stain-glass window that Taz had given Up for his 21st birthday so long ago. Taz told him that the picture was from one of the stories in his Spanish folktale book. He had asked which one, but she simply smirked and told him to figure it out himself. Up had yet to know which story it was from, but he still liked the beauty that it possessed, even if he didn't know what was happening in it.

Up walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed one of Taz's spare shirts that she kept there. He delicately wrapped the frame up in the shirt to make sure it didn't get broken during transit before placing it in the duffle bag as well.

Up also grabbed the hand-made photo album that had been given to him—by Taz, of course—when he became Commander. Inside were a plethora of photos, some he didn't have any memory of even taking. But it was stocked full of pictures of him, Taz, and the various crewmembers that had accompanied them on their intergalactic travels.

That, too, went in the duffle.

Up didn't know what else to put in his duffle bag. He hadn't collected many worldly possessions; Starship rangers tend not to get too attached to material objects.

Up heard movement coming from his bed, and he turned to look. Sure enough, the tranquillizer had worn off and Taz was waking.

"Donde estoy?" Taz asked groggily. Up hoped that her temper had cooled.

"My place," Up responded. "How're ya feeling?"

"Sick," Taz replied before rushing to his toilet. Nausea was one of the side effects of the tranquilizer darts.

Up heard her retching noises from where he stood by the bed, and decided that she should be alone for this. Taz wouldn't want him to see her like that.

He heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water, and then Taz emerged from his bathroom. "I am fine," she said.

"We're being deported at noon tomorrow. We have until then to pack one bag and say our goodbyes," Up told her grimly. Her fists clenched, but they didn't make contact with anything. That was a good sign.

"Would you mind if I left to go and pack? I'll message you when I am finished."

"Go on ahead." Up gestured towards the door. "Oh, and don't be freaked out if some officer keeps following you. He's there to make sure you don't do any 'funny business.'" Up put air quotes around funny business.

Taz muttered to herself in Spanish. Then she called out louder, "Adios."

"See ya, Taz," Up mumbled back.

* * *

><p>Taz returned to Up's room a little before dinner. She, too, had been packing her travel bag. It felt strangely light, considering she was leaving her home.<p>

She entered in Up's cabin's lock code—she knew it by heart—and sulked into the cabin. Up was looking at the news feeds.

Exactly what she had expected: their demotions and deportations were the highlight of tonight's news.

Up ran his fingers through his damp hair and said, "You all packed up?"

Taz threw her duffle bag next to Up's, which laid by the door. "Yes." She plopped down on the sofa next to him. Taz sat very still and waited for Up to say something.

"I just didn't think it'd end this way, ya know?" His voice sounded pained. "Me and you—we used to be the best the G.L.E.E. had to offer! Now they're throwing us out like nothing."

Taz wrapped her arm around Up's waist and leaned against him. "We just have to be prepared for the trial. If we can prove our innocence, we'll at least be back from this exile they put us in."

"But it's the shame, Taz. How will we ever bounce back from being shoved off to X702? Nobody'll ever take us seriously! And we'll be back at the bottom." The two of them groaned simultaneously. "I though I gave up my Ensign days. I won't be able to take the dead-goddamn superiors, ordering us around like idiots."

Taz gently began to rub Up's sides, and he quieted down.

Taz was caught off guard when Up picked her up and placed her down again on his lap, and she let out a small yelp.

Taz put her arms around Up's neck and laid her forehead down on his shoulder. Up's hands went around her waist.

"Its gonna be okay, Taz." She couldn't tell if he was telling her, or telling himself. She just stayed silent.

They were both startled out of their skins when there was a loud pounding on the door. "What's going on in there?" Officer Vasquez yelled.

Taz & Up sighed.

Up was reluctant to release Taz; he was enjoying the feeling he got when she was close. But the second set of pounds on the door forced them to separate.

Taz stood silently in the corner while Up went to answer the door. "Whatd'ya need?" Up snapped.

Vasquez cowered slightly at the intensity of Up's glare. Up may have been stripped of his title, but he wasn't any less threatening. "We're just here to do our jobs, _Ensign_."

'_That cocky little son of a bitch.' _Up was raging mad.

Taz saw what was going to happen, and she jumped into action. She strode forward and stood in front of Up, grabbing his shoulders. "Up! No es tonto!" She stomped on his foot and turned to face the officers.

"We are fine. Now dejate!" She closed the door and turned to face Up. "¿Eres estúpido?" She shoved her way past him. "Jou can't hurt them! They are now our superiors." Taz scoffed at the idea. "If jou hurt them, jou could get us all in even more trouble than we already are! I thought jou were smarter than that."

She was right. He couldn't let everyone get to him like this. It would just get a rise out of him—it's probably what they're out for, anyway. "Taz, I'm sorry." Taz just folded her arms and glared at him. "Taz, please. We can't be fightin' each other. Not now. We need to stick together."

Taz dropped her arms, and the anger drained from her eyes. "I suppose that jou are right," she mumbled.

"C'mon. We've already missed dinner call. Let's go see if we can find some food."

* * *

><p>Taz glanced at the clock. 1:50. Taz didn't know if she wanted the time to pass slower or faster.<p>

Taz stood up from her bed in defeat—there was no way that she would be able to fall asleep any time soon.

She carefully slid open her door. Officer Collins was slumping down to the left. "Perezoso," Taz muttered.

Taz taped a hastily-written note to her door: _Gone to Up's cabin. –Taz_

Taz slung her duffle over her shoulder, just in case she didn't come back to her room before the deportation.

She walked the path to Up's cabin. This was possibly the last time she would ever walk this path. The thought some-what depressed her.

Upon arriving at Up's room, Taz noticed that Officer Vasquez was asleep as well. The academy was letting far too many people graduate nowadays.

Taz punched in the passcode and let herself in.

Up was awake before the door was even closed. Damn his Starship ranger reflexes.

"Whutd'ya want, Taz?" Up snapped. Taz knew not to take it personally; Up always hated being woken up during his sleep.

"I couldn't sleep," Taz mumbled.

Up sighed and turned on the bedside lamp. "C'mere." Up pulled his covers back and Taz gladly crawled in.

"This is our last night of freedom," Taz whispered.

"Taz, don't ruin it with depressing thoughts," Up scolded. Taz just snuggled closer to him.

"Promise to never leave me," Taz whispered.

"I promise," Up said into her wild bed-head hair.

Taz cuddled up onto his chest, and the two stayed silent for the remainder of the night, reminiscing in their last moments of freedom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well I got to that 2,000 word chapter point sooner than expected. Or maybe this chapter's just long. It was going to be longer, but I needed to cut it off eventually. Otherwise it'd be too much to read. 'Cause I don't know about you, but I hate reading super-long chapters. Oh, and don't get your hopes set high on me always updating super-duper fast. I'll tucker out with the posting sooner or later.**

**HuskerChick**


	4. Esperan

"Ensigns, you have five minutes to get your asses packed and out here!" Officer Vasquez pounded hard on Up's door. Up groaned and looked at the clock: _9:30_. Up didn't know how he could've slept in that late—and of today of all days. His last day of freedom.

Taz moaned beside him and shoved her face in the pillow. Up smiled.

"C'mon, Tazzie, we gotta go," Up coaxed.

Taz reluctantly sat upright. She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out one of her Galactic League workout shirts and a pair of dark sweats. She stood still, as though she was waiting for something.

Up finally asked her, "Whatd'ya need, Taz?"

"I need to change," she said matter-o-factly. It took a minute for Up to realize what she was wanting him to do.

Up's cheeks tinted with a light shade of red. "Oh, I see." Up turned to face the opposite wall.

While Up was facing the corner, he had an unexplainable urge to peek. He dug his nails into the palm of his hand to chase those thoughts away. Those kind of thoughts about Taz weren't allowed.

He was in love with her, of course. How could he not be? He spent the past 10 years with the most beautiful woman in the world, so it'd be impossible for him not to have any romantic feelings for Taz.

But Up knew how relationships at the Galactic League worked out—or more, didn't work out.

Up wasn't willing to lose Taz. Sure, it was painful to have her sharing his bed with her but not be able to take her full in his arms and kiss her, but Up worked through it.

He wouldn't compromise their—_relationship_.

"Jou can look now, Up," Taz said. Up turned around cautiously. She looked no different than usual. If you hadn't read the news feeds, you wouldn't have been able to tell that they were about to leave the HQ—possibly for good.

Up reached behind Taz into the wardrobe and pulled out an outfit of a similar nature to Taz's.

Taz turned around so that Up could change.

Once they were both in their clothes, they grabbed their duffle bags and opened the door. They were greeted by two stern-looking officers.

"We do not appreciate what you pulled last night, Ensign Ordñez," Officer Collins said.

"It is jour own fault, for doing un mal trabajo," Taz said coldly.

"Quiet," Officer Vasquez snapped. "The two of you are to report directly to the sceening room to prepare for departure."

Taz kept a straight face on the trip to the screening room, but was screaming on the inside.

This was really happening. She was really being exiled.

Taz never thought that she would be so shameful as to be exiled. Exilation only happended to true criminals, which she was not.

Taz saw Up's gaze on her from the corner of her eye. She glanced up at her for a moment before returning her stare to the wall ahead.

Taz had never been to the screening room before. Well, once when she had just graduated from the adademy and was being given her initiation tour of the HQ. But that didn't count.

Taz and Up waited for the two incompitent officers to catch up to them before entering the screening room.

Everyone else was already there when they arrived. They looked scared out of their minds.

Taz and Up took a seat to the right of Krayoner, and waited for further instructions.

Head Admiral Frost was soon standing at the head of the room. "Welcome, detainees. We have much to do before your departure to base unit X702. First things first, hand you bag to your assigned officers."

The duffles were held in outstreatched hands, which each officer took from their respectave ranger.

"Now go through the door. I don't want to see your faces again until the trial," Head Admiral Frost said with distain. Taz sent a nasty glare his way before walking into what appeared to be some sort of security room. Loads of machines lined the walls. Taz didn't like the feel of the place.

Taz looked down at her hand, which somehow had intertwined itself in that of Up's. She looked up at Up's face. He sensed that her eyes were on him, and turned to face her. She offered up a small smile. It didn't even reach her eyes. It was easy to tell it was a fake.

"You're going to be searched for any objects that aren't allowed in base uint X702. Everyone stand in front of a machine," a voice said.

Taz was relucant to let go of Up.

She walked over to a vacant machine and stood still for further instructions.

She was soon acompanied by a rather burly officer that she had never seen before in her life.

"Spread 'em," he said. Taz gave him a harsh look, but did as she was told. She stood as though she were doing jumping jacks and waited as she was manually searched. When he had finished, she quickly returned to her previous position of standing with her arms crossed. "Follow me," he said.

Taz resisted for a moment, but decided it was in her best interest to follow. He led her to a tiny room, no more than 10 feet wide. A pair of dark blue sweatpants and a plain black shirt with a white number imprinted on the back were thrust into her hands. She was ordered to change.

She stripped down and pulled on her new uniform as quickly as possible.

"Go to the holding cell to await boarding."

Taz walked through the door across from her and into the holding cell. It was a plain cement room with one tiny porthole and an airlock door, which Taz assumed lead to the gangway.

Taz was the second to enter the holding cell, behind Megagirl (who didn't have to change). They were soon joined by Krayoner, followed by Specs, Up, Bug, Tootsie and lastly February.

"Like, I'm hideous!" February whined. "Oh Bug, don't look at me! I look worse than Taz!"

Taz shot her a murderous glare. "Don' listen to her, Taz. You look beautiful," Up said into her ear.

Taz had a feeling that he was just blowing smoke up her nalgas, but she smiled anyway.

Taz and Up sat down in the corner of the holding cell and waited. Taz couldn't concentrate on anything. And there wasn't even a clock there so Taz could count the minutes.

She didn't even know what time it was anymore.

She leanded on Up for something comfortable to sleep on, though she didn't actually sleep. She just didn't want anyone to bother her while she waited for exilation to begin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Kinda shorter—at least in comparisson to the last chapter. I don't feel the need to say anything else, so yeah.**

**HuskerChick**


	5. Bienvenido a X702

Transporter ship number C80 reeked of sweaty officers. Taz assumed that these rangers hadn't stepped foot off of the ship in months.

Taz chose to sit in the back of the ship. The seat she had picked didn't have any surrounding places for Up to sit, so he chose to join Bug. Taz wanted some time to herself.

She wasn't sure of how long the journey to base unit X702 would be. Nobody actually knew where it was. And Starship C80 didn't have any windows—at least not in the room that she was in—so Taz couldn't look for any familiar planets to use to determine her location.

But Taz had the feeling that they were headed far out of the solar system.

Taz leaned her head against the wall and stared ahead at one of the posters tacked to the far wall.

Up looked back at Taz. He wouldn't tell her, but he was nervous for her. He didn't know how her pride would stand up to something like this. Supposing they did actually win the trail against the Galactic League, how would Taz act afterwards? Would she still be the fiery, short-fused girl that Up loved? Up didn't want to think that she wouldn't.

But then again, this _was _assuming that they won. But in order to do that, they'd have to keep a clear mind and power through law book after law book to cram their minds with knowledge of how to defend themselves against both a criminal and civil lawsuit.

Up fiddled his hands to pass the time. They were told to sit in their chair and not speak to anyone, but the rangers whispered to each other anyway. Up wondered if all rules would be enforced this lightly, or if the crew of C80 was just being lazy.

Up glanced sideways at Bug.

Up generally didn't feel pity for others, but he sortof did for Bug. Bug had always wanted to be a Starship Ranger—or so Up had been told. And he finally gets the chance to become one, and he's stuck in criminal custody for 5 months to await a trial that will almost certainly result in death or life imprisonment.

But pity wouldn't help them now.

Up stole a look back at Taz. She was staring blankly ahead.

He knew that this must've been hard on her. All her life at the G.L.E.E. has been spent striving for perfection. Now she had broken a new low.

Up turned back to look at the wall in front of him.

He couldn't wait for the awful voyage to base unit X702 to be over.

* * *

><p>"All rise," a voice said over the intercom. All the rangers unbuckled their seatbelts and stood. A door opened in the back of the room, and everyone went single-file out the door.<p>

Taz stood back and waited for Up before walking into the loading dock. She wanted to be with him when she walked into hell.

They were the last to enter the loading dock. Everyone was waiting in a line for further instructions.

"Alright, prisoners." Taz didn't like being referred to as 'prisoner'. "You will be given back your belongings, then escorted to room number H8 for room assignments and schedule handouts."

Taz's duffle bag was returned to her feet shortly after. She bent down and opened it up to see which of her objects had been confiscated. Much to her surprise, everything was there.

Taz stood up and saw everyone walking out a far door. She took big strides to catch up with Up.

"What do jou think prison life will be like?" Taz asked quietly.

Up held Taz's hand gently. "I think it'll be over before you even knew it began." Up was lying through his teeth, but Taz felt that a lie would be much better than the truth at this time.

They arrived at a large steel door with a tiny window. It didn't look very welcoming.

They were all directed to stand against the back wall.

An official-looking man with wide shoulders stood in the front of them. He waived his hand, and another officer with a large basket of clothes walked down the line, handing stacks of clothes to each 'prisoner.'

Taz took a quick inventory of what she had been given: two other uniforms identical to the one she was wearing, one pair of workout clothes, and one pair of pajamas. Taz's new wardrobe. Taz glanced to her left and right. Everyone else had identical clothing.

February was wearing a look of horror at what she would be wearing for the next five months.

A different officer handed each 'prisoner' a paper. The title told Taz that this would be her cell assignment.

Taz would be in cell number 752. Another name was printed beneath that number: _Amazon 86543_.

Taz wondered what that name meant. Her question was answered before she could even voice it. "You will each be rooming with another prisoner. Some of you will be rooming with each other. You will be escorted to your appropriate cells to await further instructions. Schedules will be waiting for you in your cells. You are dismissed."

Everyone gave a salute before turning and exiting. Taz snuck a peek at Up's paper to see his cell number. Cell number 780. That would be relatively close to hers.

They arrived at Taz's cell before they could reach Up's. Taz looked at Up, trying to get a fresh image in her mind of his face in case she would need comfort in the night. Multiple passcodes are entered into the door. Taz couldn't get any of the numbers.

She was thrust into the cell and the door closed quickly behind her.

Taz walked over to a small locker which had her ID number on it. She opened the door and shoved her new clothes into one of the shelves. Then she carefully removed each of her personal objects and placed them on the other empty shelves. She slammed the locker closed.

Taz felt a pair of eyes on the back of her neck. She turned around to see a pair of dark brown eyes staring at her from across the room.

"I'm Amazon," said the eyes. "Got my name for where I was born. You?"

"Taz," the said girl replied.

"You got a funny accent, Taz," Amazon replied.

Taz stared at her for a moment before walking over to the manila envelope that was resting on her bed.

_Taz, ID 60205,_ was printed on the face of the envelope. Taz jabbed her finger in the top of it and ripped it open.

Taz did a quick inventory of the contents. There was a thick packet titled _Codes of Conduct on base unit X702_, which Taz had a feeling she would be forced to read. She also saw a timetable that told her the schedule she was to follow every day. Taz groaned; she had the feeling that this schedule was going to become a rather large inconvenience to her. She also found a necklace with a dogtag on it: one side reading _Taz Ordo__ñez, _the other reading _60205_.

Taz ripped it off of it's current chain and instead put them on her old dogtag necklace. She now wore three of the little metal tags on her neck. One was her G.L.E.E. tag, one was one of Up's old G.L.E.E. tags and now her base unit X702 tag. The last one stood out from the other two; it's metal was newer and far less tarnished. Taz despised that.

The envelope was empty other than that, so Taz turned her attention to her schedule. She wasn't very fond of it; they gave her barely 1 hour of fitness time. But she received some small comfort when she saw that she could file a complaint with her schedule and hopefully have it fixed. She would do that as soon as possible.

Taz placed everything back down on the bed and turned her attention back to Amazon.

Amazon looked exotic: extremely long, brown hair; dark eyes; dark skin; curvy. Taz had to admit that she was muy bonita. But Taz had always had a prejudice against personas bonitas. They were handed everything they could possibly want on a silver platter. That's how Taz's sister, Veronica, was treated. If Veronica wanted a new dress, she simply had to ask one of her many male suitors for it and it would arrive on her doorstep with a pretty silver bow around it the next day. Taz never had any male suitors back in Mexico—not that she minded. But that didn't mean it didn't bug her that Veronica was handed anything and everything.

"What'd you do to get in here?" Amazon asked. Her voice carried a thick Brazilian accent.

"It is a long story," Taz replied coldly. Amazon dropped it, which Taz was grateful for.

Amazon continued to drill holes into her from across the tiny cell. "Who's your friend?"

"I don't know who jou are talking about," Taz said, though she very well knew that Amazon was talking about Up.

"That handsome young man you were holding hands with. Is he your _lover_?" Amazon pestered.

"He is my best friend, not some _lover_." Taz hoped that her longing wasn't being betrayed in her tone.

Amazon gave her a skeptical look.

Taz jumped when the cell door slid open with a loud squeaking noise. "Taz Ordoñez," the same officer who had escorted her to her cell said. "Come with me."

Amazon gave her a sorry look, as though she knew what was coming.

Taz walked with two officers to the front and to the back of her as she was led to yet another tiny office. She was forced into a chair, and her forearm was strapped to the arm of the chair. Taz didn't like where this was going.

"Taz, this will be a simple procedure we like to call _branding_," said a woman in a labcoat. "Please stay still, or we will be forced to sedate you."

Taz saw them coming at her with a large needle attached to a tube, and Taz began to struggle. She had many bad memories associated with needles.

Taz tried to pull back, but her arm was strapped down. The woman pulled back before the needle made contact with her skin. "Sedate her."

Taz squirmed in her seat, but it was no use. The needle made contact with her neck before she even knew what was happening.

"Look at it this way, Taz," the woman said. "At least now you won't feel the pain," she said before Taz blacked out.

* * *

><p>Taz woke back up again in her cell. A burning sensation was in her left arm. Taz pulled it up to her face, and was slightly mortified. In thick, black numbers, <em>60205 <em>had been tattooed onto her wrist. It was official: she was an official member of the base unit X702 criminal community.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter didn't 'flow' quite the way I had hoped it would. I don't like all this 'getting settled' crap, but it's got to happen one way or another. Blah. But on a happier note: I keep all my FanFictions on a flash drive so that I can write on multiple computers, but 6 months ago I 'misplaced' it. I was heartbroken. But now I found it again! I enjoyed looking through all of my super old work from like 2 years ago. It made my heart swell.**

**HuskerChick**


	6. Mi compañero de cuarto, Amazon

Taz's new tattoo itched. Amazon kept telling her not to itch it, because it'd get infected, but Taz couldn't stop herself.

Taz checked the tiny digital clock on the wall: 10:40. There was still 20 minutes until lights out.

Taz felt excruciatingly bored. The cell was tiny, so there wasn't enough room to work out. There weren't any books. There wasn't a streaming T.V. There wasn't even a bathtub for her to bathe in. This cell had the absolute bare minimum, and no more. That would make sense though. It isn't like the Galactic League wanted their prisoners to feel like they were at an all-expense paid vacation. This _was _prison after all.

Amazon had told Taz a little bit about herself. Taz would've objected, but she had absolutely nothing else to do but listen.

Amazon's been in base unit X702 for 6 years now; 2 were spent in another cell, 4 in this one. She had 4 more years left on her sentence.

She used to be a fighter pilot for the Galactic League, before her imprisonment.

She was put here for abandoning her crew during a high-stakes mission, and because of her actions the entire crew died.

She joined the Galactic League because it's what her mother had done before she lost mobility in the right half of her body, and it's what her older brothers and sisters had done. So she would've been a failure if she hadn't. Though after everything that's happened, she would always be a failure to them.

She had a husband, who had left her due to reasons that Amazon wasn't going to tell Taz.

After her imprisonment, she had been disowned by her family.

After hearing more information about Amazon than Taz really had any room in her mind for, she cut her off. "I am going to go to bed," Taz informed Amazon.

"Oh, okay," Amazon said. She sounded slightly disappointed.

Taz walked over to her bed and crawled under the covers. The mattress felt like rock, and the sheets were scratchy. It was nothing like Taz's bed back at HQ.

These things didn't really bother Taz all that much, though. She had slept on much worse things than a hard mattress.

Taz closed her eyes and thought of Up. Taz wished more than anything that she could be sleeping next to him tonight.

* * *

><p>Amazon looked over at her sleeping new roommate. Taz, she called herself. Amazon wondered if that was even her real name, or just some nickname she had earned back at the Galactic League.<p>

Amazon had always prayed to dead-God for another roommate. She had a roommate back in her old cell. Osiris was her name. But then one night Osiris had told Amazon that she was going to break out, and she offered to take her with her. But Amazon had chickened out.

That was the last night she ever saw Osiris. She didn't even know if she made it out or not. There was no mention of Osiris or the attempted break-out on any news feeds. But then again, base unit X702 probably wouldn't want to go advertising that someone had tried to leave—or possibly succeeded in leaving—X702.

But Amazon had noticed an increase in security after that night.

Amazon never had been given another roommate after Osiris. She had been all alone until Taz.

Amazon wasn't sure of her feelings on Taz. Amazon felt thrilled to meet Taz; they had told her 2 days ago that she would be receiving a new roommate that went by the name 'Taz', and Amazon had been psyched to meet her.

But Taz seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder. She didn't talk much. She gave Amazon a look that said, "you're running your mouth, but I'm not hearing one word of it."

Amazon liked Taz, but she couldn't tell if it was that she really liked Taz, or if she just liked the aspect of finally having someone to keep her company.

Amazon shrugged her shoulders. She would just have to let time tell her how she felt about Taz.

Amazon was grateful for the pounding on the door, which meant lights out. Amazon flicked out the light switch and crawled back into her bed.

Amazon fell asleep wondering what Taz had done to get stuck in X702. Taz never had told her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Short. Like, less than 1,000 words short. Next one'll be longer. Side note: I wrote this chapter on the iMac and I'm loving how big the screen is! It's like—BAM! *sees my writing in huge font on huge high quality screen*. I loves it.**

**HuskerChick**


	7. Afloja hasta Taz

Up was woken up at 6 o'clock on the dot.

Up had been lucky enough to get a roommate that he already knew; Krayonder. Up knew that Taz'd been given some unknown girl to room with. He hoped that Taz wasn't giving her roommate a hard time.

Up used the shower first, if you could even call it a shower. It was a steel box with a pipe sticking out from the ceiling that spouted water. Up didn't think it deserved the name 'shower.'

Up dressed himself in his uniform and shook his damp hair out on the cement floor and waited to be called to breakfast.

Krayonder walked out of the shower stall dressed identically to Up.

Krayonder started rambling on about nothing in particular to pass the time. Up only half-listened. He couldn't stop thinking about Taz. His bed had felt so empty last night. Up didn't like the feeling at all.

Up wondered if Taz had missed him as much as he missed her.

Up wanted more than anything to be able to kiss Taz right now. But that wouldn't've been able to happen, even if Up had been with her.

Up looked up when the cell door opened. Four guards stood waiting to escort them to the Cafeteria.

Up and Krayonder entered the Cafeteria and looked around for any familiar faces. Up saw the beautiful figure of Taz sitting with a girl with dark hair. Up assumed that she was Taz's roommate. Up walked over to their table, and Krayonder followed.

"Hey, Taz," Up said as he took a seat next to her. Taz looked relieved to see Up.

"Hello Up; Krayonder," Taz said indifferently. Amazon looked at Taz expectantly, and Taz spoke again. "Guys, this is Amazon, my roommate. Amazon, this is Krayonder and Up."

Amazon gave them both a small wave, and the guys waved back.

Up grabbed Taz's hand underneath the table. "How's the roommate?" Up whispered into her ear.

"Talkative," was Taz's reply. Taz was secretly very grateful for Up holding her hand. "But she could be worse."

"Hey, lemme see your schedule," Up said quietly so that only she could hear. Taz shoved her schedule into his waiting hand.

Up was relieved; they had the same schedule. "Me and Krayonder've got the same schedule."

Taz smiled. "Good. We can estudiamos together."

Up smiled.

Up looked down at the plate of food that had been thrust in front of him. It didn't look very appetizing, but Up picked at it anyway. No use trying to do anything on an empty stomach.

The food was worse than the dehydrated shit that you ate on missions.

Breakfast was followed by physical training. It wasn't really physical training though. It was more free-time in the gym.

Up didn't mind in the least. He just figured that having free-reign to do what you pleased would still be a better workout than whatever crap that X702 would've planned.

Up decided that Taz really needed to loosen up. She still gave Up that soft gaze and everything, but her muscles seemed really on-guard.

Not like that was a bad thing in prison.

Up decided that a good old one-on-one in the ring would do Taz some good.

Taz was reluctant to fight; she would've much preferred some alone time with the punching bag. But she was eventually worn down by Up's pleating looks.

Taz started out aggressive. She seemed to be working off some steam, which is exactly what Up wanted to happen.

Up was glad to feel Taz's force lessening as the fight wore on. He hoped that whatever was bothering her was starting to become less prevalent in her mind.

"So are we going to start with the studying today?" Taz asked.

"Sure are, if you're up for it," Up said with a smile.

"Of course I am up for it, jou idiota," Taz said with faux-annoyance. Up just smirked.

They chose not to talk for a while. They didn't need words.

Taz and Up danced back and forth in a familiar pattern; Up would advance forward, and Taz would block it; Taz would launch and attack that Up would dodge.

Both of them were putting in only one-half effort.

Eventually, Bug's voice cut through their fight. "Hey, Up?"

"Yeah?" Up said reluctantly.

"I had to talk to you 'bout something, but you look busy," Bug said cautiously.

"No, 'sokay. I'll be right out.

Up gave an apologetic look to Bug before he walked out into the hall and turned to face Bug. Bug looked as though he was having some kind of anxiety attack, or something.

"What's up, Bug?" Up asked. There was a trace of irritableness in his voice.

"Well, I—I'm nervous, Up. I don't belong to the G.L.E.E. I'm a bug. And that's exactly what Dr. Space-Claw wanted all along. So with my," Bug paused, "punishment at his disposal, I'm worried what he'll have in mind."

Bug made an excellent point.

All along, Dr. Space-Claw had wanted a bug specimen to perform tests on, and one was right here. Dead-God only knew what Dr. Space-Claw would have in store for Bug.

"Oh, uh," Up stuttered. He didn't have any words that could possibly comfort Bug. "Well, the only thing I have to say is that we can't let the Galactic League beat us, now can we?"

Bug gave Up a feeble laugh. "Be honest with me. Do you know a thing about the law?"

"Not a clue," Up admitted. "But I'm gonna make it my job to know. You remember what I said back before we left?" Up didn't wait for Bug to respond. "That we're gonna study the hell out of the law. We're gonna study today during library time. You want to join us?"

"Like, yeah I do!" Bug said.

Up patted him on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, son."

Now Bug wore a real smile.

"Is that all now, Bug?" Up asked.

"Oh, no, that's all. I'll let you go back to Taz now." Bug said, and Up blushed.

"See you later, Bug," Up said with a wave.

"Bye."

Up turned and walked back into the sparring ring where a very irritable Taz was waiting.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Like no joke, whilst writing this chapter I spilled a shitload of water all over the computer and I legit started screaming and running for paper towels and shit. To make matters worse, it's midnight so I woke up my sister. But thanks to a large roll of paper towels and lots of rubbing, my computer survived. I have a newfound love for the hardyness of my little pink netbook. This thing's like some kind of pink tank. I have dropped it onto cement too many times to count, and it still lives on.**

**Oh and sorry for the delay in posting. I had a chapter, but then I had to scrap it because it didn't quite fit the 'look' I had going for this story. Hope the wait was worth it.**

**HuskerChick**


	8. IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT HUSKERCHICK

Quick note from HuskerChick:

After much consideration, I'm changing my name. I've never really like HuskerChick, so I've decided to choose something more permanent. My new name is **Kateword**. Just wanted to let my readers know. It's kind of a big leap, especially after being known as 'HuskerChick' for the past 2 years, but I want a pen name that I like more than that. That's all.

Kateword


	9. El lección primero

Routine came quickly at base unit X702. It didn't take long for Taz to become accustomed to her new life.

The highlight of Taz's day was any activity that she shared with Up; be it cleaning duty or fitness center. Up made everything a little brighter for Taz.

Taz's favorite-yet at the same time least favorite-activity of the day was study hall. X702 stuck everyone in a library for time to do anything they wanted, so long as it involved sharpening your mind.

Much to their convenience, the library carried multiple standard-issue textbooks. The helper at the library informed them that the textbooks were the ones that the Academy currently used.

Everyone gathered around a large table and prepared to learn. Different types of textbooks were laid in the middle of the table.

"Okay guys, now like I should warn you now: I'm not a very fast learner," February said. "I can barely remember all that schience-y stuff!"

"We know, Feb," Bug said.

"We can help jou," Taz said irritably. Taz wasn't much of a quick study herself—calculus was proof of that. It had taken her weeks in extra tutoring to get together a passing grade. But that was years ago. Maybe Taz's learning abilities had improved since then.

"Alright now," Up said with a drawl. "First, do any of you guys know even the slightest bit about the law?" Everyone's heads shook in unison. "Well then, let's start with the very basics."

Up flipped open the first edition of the Academy textbooks.

Taz leaned over Up's shoulder and looked at the contents of the first chapter. It looked to just be an explanation of the common courtroom roles.

"Okay, first we gotta know who's who," Up said. He skimmed the page for a minute before beginning. "There're two sides to the court: the prosecution—which in our case is the G.L.E.E.—who's doing the accusing. Then there's the defense, which is us. We're the one bein' accused of wrongdoing."

Taz felt confident; this seemed easy so far to her.

"There's also the judge, who keeps the peace. He don't decide who wins the court case though. That's the jury's job. For the jury, the Galactic League just picks 12 random members of the Galactic League to listen in on the case and decide who wins: prosecution or defense," Up continued. So good, so far for Taz. "Sometim's, the prosecution or defense'll call up what they call witnesses."

"But the only witnesses for what happened on Bug World are, like, us man!" Krayonder cried.

"They aren't literally 'witnesses,' Krayonder. They're more people who know stuff about what's happening, you know?" Everyone nodded whether they understood it or not. "Alright, now. They've got a bunch of other names and stuff here, but I don' think that we need to know them. They can't be that important."

Taz was grateful; less learning for her.

Up scanned another chunk of pages in the book. "Hmm."

Taz pushes her hand out to stop Up from turning the page. "Mirate."

The chapter was titled _Courtroom: The Basics_.

"Thanks, Taz," Up said quietly. Taz couldn't help but smile at the gentleness of his voice. Taz liked it when Up talked to her like that.

Specs grabbed a bunch of the same textbooks and passed them around so that each person could share a book with the person next to them.

Everyone turned to the correct page and waited for Up to continue.

Taz looked around the table and noticed: Up became the leader of the group without even trying. Up had always been a born leader.

Up cleared his throat. "Alright now, we're kinda out of time here, so how about we take these books back to the cells with us so we can read the chapter and everything then we can talk about it next time?"

Everyone agreed to Up's proposal.

They all walked off to go and check out with the guards and be escorted back to their cells. Taz and Up stayed behind for a minute.

"How're you holding up?" Up asked Taz.

"As fine as I can be, in prison," Taz mumbled.

"And with the learning…?" Up asked.

"Estoy bien, okay?" Taz snapped, but immediately regretted saying it. Up was only looking out for her.

"Alright. 'See you around, then," Up mumbled before leaving to check out.

Estupido, Taz kept muttering to herself. Why did she say that? She asked herself over and over again. She always did that. She would always snap at Up for him simply caring.

Taz would never learn.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Guess which girl is walking on air right now? THIS GIRL. And which girl just got tickets to the Joe Moses One-Man Showses featuring Team Starkid in Chi town? THIS GIRL. Ba-bam. Livin' the dream, right here.**

**Kateword**


	10. Tarea deber

"Hey Taz?" Amazon called out to her roommate.

Taz lifted her head up from the law book she had been reading. "Si," she said.

"If you don't mind my asking, what've you and your friends been doing all this time at the library?" Amazon asked.

Taz hesitated to answer. "We are…studying. We have a trial, and we need to know what we are up against."

Amazon nodded. "And how's that going for you guys?"

"A si a si," Taz said. "Es un poco duro."

Amazon looked slightly confused, but sort of understood what Taz was saying. "Oh. I hope everything works out for you guys."

Amazon was upset. This meant that Taz would be leaving her all alone soon. Taz had only been with her for 3 weeks. Amazon didn't know how soon their trial would be, but knowing the Galactic League, it'd probably come much too quickly.

Amazon let the conversation drop. Talking with Taz usually ended after only a few minutes. Amazon had come to accept that, though it still sort of upset her. She had really hoped for a more social roommate.

Taz and Amazon were called from their rooms to do chores. Taz despised chores duty.

Chores duty was run by Officer Dukes; a bitter old man with a permanent scowl on his face. Officer Dukes had no tolerance for any backtalk, which meant that he instantly despised Taz. Taz disliked him with equal passion.

Taz shared chores duty with Up, Bug, Tootsie, Amazon, Megagirl, and two other inmates named Nickel and Jax. February, Specs and Krayonder had community service.

Everyone stood at attention for Officer Dukes.

"Taz, Up, Megagirl; you are on grout duty. Bug, Nickel; floors. Amazon, Jax; bathrooms," Officer Dukes commanded. Everyone retrieved the appropriate supplies from the closet and set to work.

Taz, Up and Megagirl grabbed their toothbrushes and set to work cleaning the grout in between the tiles on the floor and wall. It was a tedious job, but Taz didn't mind it. It somehow relieved Taz of the stress that she'd built up from previous events.

Once Officer Dukes was satisfied with how hard everyone was working, he left to go read the news feeds. Officer Dukes wasn't one to babysit. He just inspected your work and if it wasn't up to his standards, your wrist got whipped.

It was painful, yet in some way effective. Taz had only been whipped twice—well, twice from an inadequate work quality. She had been whipped too many times to count because she was disobedient.

Taz set to work on the floor. She squeezed a small amount of cleaning solution onto her toothbrush and started to scrub at the dark grey grout.

Up scooted over on his hands and knees to where Taz was scrubbing.

"I have set a new record," Taz said to Up. Up looked confused and waited for Taz to explain. "I haven't been beaten in two days now."

Up gave her a sad smile. "Let's continue to break that record."

Taz and Up scrubbed the grout intently. Taz wasn't in any mood to have Dukes on her hide about poor craftsmanship.

"Now Taz, you don't blow up in my face," Up said cautiously, "but are you keeping up with the rest of us?"

Taz squeezed her toothbrush harder to restrain from saying something she shouldn't. "Of course, Up," she lied.

Up pestered further. "Taz."

"No really, Up. Estoy bien," Taz insisted. She really wished that Up would drop the subject. She really didn't like lying to him. It gave her a horrible feeling in her gut.

Up yanked Taz's toothbrush from her hand. Taz looked up angrily at him.

"Taz, quit lyin' to me. I though we were close than that." Up's voice sounded hurt. Taz's heart was squeezing painfully. "Now tell it to me straight. Are you keeping up?"

Taz leaned her forehead against Up's shoulder, feeling defeated. "No. Up, es difícil! I can't keep up with jou! I can't do it, Up! I can't do it!"

Taz felt the tears coming to her eyes, but willed them not to spill over.

"Taz," Up said quietly. He pulled her up onto his lap and rubbed her back soothingly. "Taz, just cause it's difficult now, that don't mean that you have to give up. We need you, Taz! If you're not with us, then we're dead for sure. You can't give up on us now."

"But what if I fail, Up?" Taz asked meekly.

"But what if you succeed?"

Taz felt a lone tear fall down her cheek. Up took notice to the tear. He pulled her back from his shirt so he could look her in the eyes.

Taz tried to hide the shame in her eyes.

"Taz, listen to me. I'm not gonna leave you behind on this. You _are _going to learn this. Just like calculus! Remember?" Taz nodded meekly. "You couldn't get calculus, and you were just about ready to drop out of the academy entirely. But I helped you! And you passed with flyin' colors! We did it once, we can do it again!"

Taz smiled. Up would always be there to push her off that cliff. Taz pulled Up into a tight hug. "Gracias, Up."

"De nada, Taz." Up knew that his talking in Spanish made Taz happy.

Taz pulled back. "Can I have my scrubber back, now?"

Up laughed and placed the toothbrush back in Taz's outstretched hand.

"Let's do this," Taz said. Up smiled at her fiery spirit.

Up was extremely glad that Taz's spirit hadn't been crushed in X702.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hmm. Another chapter up. This story's progressing quite nicely. My goal is to write my longest story ever (which means it exceeds 50,000 words). I'm feeling ambitious. Anyway do enjoy my chapter. And sorry that they've been getting progressively shorter. We've had the state-mandatory testing this week and it's throwing me off my A-game :\**

**Kateword**


	11. Olvidado

Up was glad that X702 had agreed to his request for extra gym time. Now, at 9:20 every night Up could go have some alone time at the gym.

Up abandoned his guards at the door and turned the corner into the training room. Up was surprised yet happy that Taz was here, too.

"What're you doin' here?" Up asked. Taz jumped out of her skin.

"No hagas eso!" Taz cried. Up chuckled at her. "And X702 gave me this extra gym time. Y tu? Why are jou here?"

"Same thing as you, I guess," Up said.

Taz sighed. "As long as I've got jou here," she said. Up didn't know what she was going at, but he had a feeling that he didn't want to find out.

Up was right.

Taz launched herself into an attack, which caught Up by surprise. He fell back onto his butt as Taz laughed at him.

Up grunted and jumped back up, but not before taking a swipe at Taz's shins. Taz jumped over them easily. Taz kicked Up square in the chest, but this time Up was ready. He responded by colliding his fist with her jaw. Taz winced painfully, but it didn't faze her. She sent a string of hits to Up's torso, treating him as though he were a punching bag. He grabbed her fists, which fit perfectly into Up's hands, and twisted them behind her back. Taz was left pinned against Up's front side.

Up bent down and whispered into her ear, "Give up?"

"Nunca," Taz growled playfully. She dug the heel of her combat boot into Up's shin and spun out of his grasp. Up decided to play dirty and jumped over to the large barrel that held the foam bats. Up grabbed one of the bats and swung at Taz. She walked right into the moving piece of foam. The force knocked Taz backwards onto the floor. "Juegas sucio," Taz said.

She stole a foam bat as well and hit Up's rib. Up pushed his bat out to repel Taz. It quickly turned into one of the old-fashioned duels that the other rangers used to compete in back in the Academy. It was a favorite pastime of theirs to bet on who'd win, back then.

Up had only participated in those duels once, and that was against a puny little second year. Up crushed him easily, and it hadn't required much skill with the sword. But Taz, on the other hand, was even more skilled with the bat than she was at hand-to-hand combat.

Taz sent a series of hits to Up, and knocked him down to the floor once again. In a final attempt at victory, Up kicked Taz's ankles and sent her flailing down on top of him. She hit his chest with a _thud_.

"Yo gano," Taz smirked.

Up couldn't help but notice the close proximity of Taz. She smelled of honey-almond and sweat. Up somehow found the smell attractive. It showed that Taz wasn't afraid to kick some ass.

Up let the foam bat roll away from him, and he couldn't stop his hands from snaking around Taz's petite waist. Taz didn't seem to mind at all. She moved her hands to Up's chest and used them to support herself from falling flat.

Up smirked. He locked his ankles around Taz's and rolled them both over so that Taz was the one on bottom. "Oh, really?" Up asked playfully. Taz stuck her tongue out at him.

Up didn't want to ever move. He liked the feel of Taz's calloused skin against his own.

Up dropped his head down so that it laid next to Taz's. His face was buried in Taz's hair. It was soft beyond belief.

Taz's hands were resting loosely around Up's neck. She was content to never move again.

Up lost track of time in Taz's arms. He didn't know if they'd been laying there for a minute or for twenty. He didn't care, as long as it lasted longer.

Taz started to make slow circles with her fingertips on Up's back; it gave Up the chills.

"Can jou believe that it has been two months?" Taz whispered. Up was startled by that news. Had it really been two months already? "The trial is coming closer and closer by the minute."

Up knew he would regret it, but he pushed himself up out of Taz's hold on him so that his face was directly on top hers. "You gotta stop countin' the days, Taz. You're just working yourself up."

Taz huffed in frustration. She knew Up was right. "I know," she mumbled.

Taz fell silent, so Up decided to return to his previous position.

Up laughed to himself. So much for extra workout time, he thought.

Up closed his eyes; he really was tired. He hadn't slept much during their stay at X702. The place didn't settle well with him. Probably because it was a prison.

Up didn't think he would fall asleep, but his body had other plans. He heard Taz's breathing slow, meaning that she was asleep as well. The steady pattern of her chest rising and falling gently rocked Up to sleep.

* * *

><p>Taz opened her eyes groggily. She felt a heavy, warm presence pinning her to the ground. Taz was startled to see Up laying on top of her, but then remembered what had happened before they fell asleep. Taz then realized that they were still in the training room. Why hadn't the guards come and got them when their session was over? Taz thought.<p>

She turned and looked over at the digital clock on the far wall. 2:10, it read. They should've left over 3 hours ago. Taz wondered what had happened.

She gently shook Up's shoulders until he started to regain consciousness. "Wha'?" Up croaked.

"Levántate," Taz said. Up took notice quickly that he had been sleeping on top of Taz.

Up rolled to the side, freeing Taz. "Why're we still here?" he asked.

"I was wondering the same thing," Taz admitted. She crept over to the door to find out where the guards were.

Taz scoffed at their incompetence; they were asleep on the floor, like los bebés.

"Idiotas," Taz muttered. Up laughed.

"For the highest security prison the Galactic League has to offer, these guards sure do suck," Up said.

Taz couldn't agree more.

Up walked down a corridor in the back of the training room. Taz followed at his heels.

They could feel the heat before they saw it's source. It was a pleasant surprise to see the large hot tub in the middle of an otherwise empty room. Taz assumed the hot tub's purpose was to relax tense muscles.

"Shall we?" Up bowed like a faux-gentleman.

Taz chucked. "Sure."

Up pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Taz pulled off her uniform's sweatshirt so that she only had on a dark tank top. Her and Up removed their shoes and socks. All they had on was their standard-issue gym shorts and a tank top for Taz.

Taz was the first to take a step in the tub. It felt good against her sore muscles. She settled in on the bench, and Up took a seat next to her. Taz leaned against Up's shoulder.

Up liked the feeling of Taz against him.

Up put his arm around her to pull her closer.

It didn't take long for Taz to fall back asleep. Up smiled and ruffled her hair. He decided to let her sleep while she could; Taz needed it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I decided that I needed to get a post out on Lauren Lopez's birthday :) So HAAAAPPPPYYY BIRTHHHDAYYY LAURENNNNN!—on another note: midnight premiere of The Hunger Games movie ticket: purchased. Who else is going to witness the epicness?**

**Kateword**


	12. El reunión

Up stared blankly at the wall ahead of him; there was nothing else that was more appealing to look at. Up felt the twisting in his gut-the feeling that he attributed to being nervous-and wished that time would speed up. He wished the others were with him. He wished February was with him, so he could laugh on the inside about her petty problems such as hair or clothes. He wished Krayonder was with him; Up had grown rather fond of Krayonder in the 3 months that they'd been roomies. Up wished that Tootsie and Megagirl were with him, so he could look at their bizarre attraction and smile at how sweet yet gross it was. He wished that Specs was with him, so she could throw in a bunch of technical terms that didn't apply to the situation at all. He wished that Bug was here, so that he could have somebody who was level-headed to keep him from jumping to the worst conclusions. But more than anything Up wished that Taz was by his side. He felt empty without her. He had an immense dislike for that feeling.

Up had been called from lunch to go and report to Commanding Officer Graf immediately. Up had been sitting in Officer Graf's waiting room for close to 45 minutes now, though it felt like much longer.

Up had done everything he could think of to keep his mind from wandering to some of the worst-case scenarios on what Officer Graf might want. Up unwove a seam from his uniform shirt and used it to play Jacob's Ladder and other string games. Up used one of the pamphlets on the table beside him to make origami cranes and other animals. Up tied thousands of knots in his shoelaces so that it would now take hours to untie them. Up picked at his fingernails until there was very little nail left on his finger, and no cuticle at all. Up used a piece of broken tile as a piece of chalk and drew on the stone wall beside his chair. Up carved notches into the wooden chair that he was sitting on. And the most frequent pass-time of all: staring at the clock.

After 90 minutes, Up began to wonder of Officer Graf had forgotten about him. Perhaps he had forgotten. Just like everybody back at the Galactic League had probably already forgotten about him.

Up sneered bitterly. The Galactic League had probably forgotten about him entirely. They probably didn't remember the great Commander Up. That would be typical of the Galactic League; a name is known only as long as they're still in action, but the second you are discharged, you are forgotten by everyone.

Up pinched his arm hard. He had to stop thinking about this. He had to be better about it. Usually, Taz would catch him scowling to himself and then she'd give him a beating about how he needed to snap out of it. But for times like these-times without Taz-Up needed to censor his own thoughts, not rely on someone else.

Up tugged on the now-frayed hem of his shirt. He glanced back up at the clock. Another 10 minutes had passed. He wondered if the others had any idea what was going on, because he sure as hell didn't.

Up combed through all his actions that he'd done in the 3 months at X702, trying to find which one the Galactic League would consider unacceptable. There had been some instances where Up's behavior had been questionable, but none that would earn him a meeting with Commanding Officer Graf. Up was at a loss. Since he didn't have a clue of what the nature of this meeting was, there was no way for him to create a plan of attack.

Up was finally called back into Officer Graf's office. It's about time, Up thought to himself. He had been waiting for close to 2 hours now.

Up was escorted into the office and sat down on a stool in front of an overly-large desk. Behind the desk sat Commanding Officer Graf. Up had only ever seen Officer Graf twice before, and only in passing. Up didn't know what to expect from him.

"Up," Officer Graf greeted him.

"Officer Graf," Up said curtly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long," Officer Graf apologized. "I got tied up in a meeting." Up just nodded in response. "Now, let's get straight to it. I don't want to keep you any longer than necessary. I come bearing news on your trial. The prosecution team is requesting to meet with the eight of you as soon as possible. I took the liberty in scheduling a meeting for tomorrow at one."

"Great," Up mumbled. The trial was drawing nearer and nearer by the minute.

"I'll leave it to you to inform your friends on the arrangement," Officer Graf said. "I'll send someone to fetch you all a half hour 'till. You are dismissed." Officer Graf waived his hand at Up before turning his attention to something on his desk.

Up stood up and was escorted from the room. Up couldn't believe he waited 2 hours for something that could've been told to him in a note or by messenger. But he was glad that he had some notice on the meeting. This gave him an opportunity to rally up the rangers and prepare them for what was coming.

Up took the path that lead to Taz's room rather than his own. He decided that the sooner he told Taz, the better.

The officers standing guard in front of Taz's cell let Up in. Up took notice of Amazon's absence, and was grateful for it. He preferred to talk to Taz alone.

"Up!" Taz cried. She rushed to Up and jumped in his arms. Up was taken aback, but didn't enjoy it any less. "What did Graf want with jou?"

"We've got a meetin' with the prosecutors tomorrow at one."

Taz groaned. "Took them long enough," she said scornfully. "I think they dumped us here just to get us out of their pelo."

"Probably true," Up admitted. "At least they're finally fitting us into their busy schedule," Up added with heavy sarcasm.

Taz scoffed.

There was a knock on the door, which startled the two of them. "Hurry up, you two," one of Up's guards called out.

Up set Taz down gently. "See you tonight?" Up asked hopefully.

"You bet," Taz said, the smile on her face lighting up her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Anotherr chapterr. I know it seems like I'm just writing a bunch of filler—which I am, kindof. I have a whole big plot line coming up, but it's gonna have to take place later on. It just wouldn't make sense for it to happen now. So do hold on—I'm planning on cutting the filler crap around chapter 15ish. Until then: enjoy my fluffy, smutty, pointless filler shit!**

**Kateword.**


	13. Lo siento

Taz delivered a well-aimed swing of her foam bat, an it hit Up on the side of his leg. Up staggered backwards to recover. "What's on your mind, Taz?" Up asked.

"The estupido meeting, that's what's on my mind!" Taz cried. She hit Up with the bat again.

Up signed. "Taz, you gotta stop working yourself up over all of this. Your just making yourself more anxious than you already are."

Taz scowled. She knew Up was right, and that all this worrying was doing her no good. But she couldn't help but think about the meeting, especially when she was by herself. That's when she had nothing to distract herself.

Taz groaned and threw down her bat. She stumbled over to the bench and grabbed her waterbottle. Up picked put his and her bats away in the barrel before joining her on the bench.

Up toweled off the beads of sweat that had been collecting on the back of his neck. "I dunno what's going through that head of yours, but whatever it is, it's gotta stop. You're just driving yourself to insanity from the inside out."

Taz didn't respond; she couldn't think of a retort for Up's comment. It was entirely true.

Taz pulled at her now-shoulder-length hair. X702 hadn't granted her request for a haircut, and the length of her hair was really starting to get on her nerves. It was too unmanageable for Taz.

Up grabbed Taz by the shoulders and pulled her in front of him. "Taz, quit ignoring me," Up demanded.

"I'm not!" she said defensively. She tried in vain to get out of Up's grip.

"Then how come you never answer me? Huh?"

Taz was left speechless. She had a thousand words she wanted to tell Up right then. She wanted to tell him how grateful she was that he had been here for her. She wanted to tell him that these midnight training sessions were the highlight of her day. She wanted to tell him that he was the oh thing keeping her sane. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. But nothing came out of her mouth. Her mouth tasted of dry cotton.

Up looked hurt by her silence, but he didn't say anything. Taz knew that he was just bottling up his feelings. It always tore her up inside to see him there and to know that he's hurting, yet he doesn't do a thing.

"Up," Taz whispered. "Lo siento, Up."

Up shocked Taz by him wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her up onto his lap. "I know ya are, Taz. I'm sorry too," Up said softly. Taz wrapped her arms around Up's neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Up was glad that he had Taz, no matter how short-tempered she was. Because without her, Up would've lost his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uggh, it's so short -.- I apologize. But this chapter sucked to write. This is actually version 3.0 of the chap (It's been scrapped and redone twice). Plus I wanted to get something up, 'cause I haven't posted in a while. Next ones longer, I pinky promise.**

**Kateword**


	14. Luchan

Up fidgeted in his seat. He couldn't take the waiting. They had been called for their meeting an hour ago. The time that the meeting was supposed to have started had long since passed. The Galactic League sure did have a thing for making people wait.

Bug had explained to Up his theory on why the Galactic League made people wait so long for things. Bug said that this was a show of power. They had the power to control where you were and for how long. You had to bend to their will, no matter how inconvenient it was. So too bad if you've got to wait an extra hour or two, they say, because this is their rule, and you've got to deal with it. They are in charge.

That theory made perfect sense to Up. The Galactic League had always had an element of power-hungriness to it, even before Dr. Space-Claw had come to power. It would make sense for them to want to feel superior to their Rangers.

Up looked across the way at Taz, who was looking around the room. She was very much so out of her element right then.

Up wished he could comfort her. He wished he could hold her, and rock her back and forth, and reassure her that everything would work out. But he couldn't. She wouldn't let him, not with everyone else watching. She had an image to keep up; she had to be the strong leader of the group. She and Up had to keep up this false facade that nothing could ever frighten them.

But as each hour spent in X702 passed, Up felt his front cracking more and more. He didn't know how much longer he could keep from falling down. Sure, Taz was a great help. He couldn't have done it without her. But she was just acting like duct tape, patching over all the cracks in Up's mask. Duct tape was strong, but it couldn't hold forever. No matter how much Up loved Taz, he couldn't use her as a fix forever. Eventually, his roll of duct tape would run out. Taz would run out of her roll of duct tape soon, too. Up had a difficult time seeing the cracks in Taz's mask whilst in public, but they were as bright and obvious as a thousand light when they were alone. Yes, Taz's roll of duct tape was deplenishing quickly. And once hers ran out, Up's would cease to function, too.

Up didn't want to think what would happen of both he and Taz couldn't hold it together anymore. Up wouldn't leave any room in his mind for such negative thoughts.

Up heard Krayonder and Specs whispering next to him. Krayonder wove his finger in between Specs's. Whatever was going on between the two of them was news to Up. But then again, Up had always been oblivious to relationships.

Up was glad that the two of them had found happiness in the worst of times. Up smiled.

Up caught the look of confusion on Taz's face. He assumed that she was puzzled by his smile. Up couldn't blame her. Up didn't think he had smiled in at least 2 days.

Up just smiled at Taz. He thought she needed a smile now more than ever.

Taz looked extremely confused at first, and she muttered something under her breath. But then she smiled back. The smile was genuine; it lit up her eyes. That was all Up needed to be happy.

Up pulled a tiny piece of paper out of his pocket. Whilst in X702, Up had taken a liking to origami. He folded the tiny square paper into various mini-sculptures. He was fascinated by the way that his large, pudgy fingers could manipulate the paper into something beautiful.

Up quickly shoved the paper into his pocket when the officers came to escort them into the conference hall. Up and Taz took up the back of the procession.

Taz gave Up's hand a quick squeeze before they entered the hall. Up appreciated it.

The conference hall was set up similar to every other room in X702: metal chairs for the prisoners, plush chairs for the visiting officials; solid grey cement walls; a high-security metal door in the corner with the G.L.E.E. insignia stamped on it. The rooms never varied. They were always as simplistic and functional as possible. They had what you would need to function; nothing more, nothing less.

"Greetings, convicts," an officer whose name Up didn't know said.

"Not yet, we aren't," Up heard Taz mutter.

"Let's cut to the chase," said someone named Colonel Sanders. "We've got some stuff to discuss about your trial. Here's some paperwork for you to look over. It's simply us stating the charges, saying who'll be prosecuting you, etcetera, etcetera."

A manila envelope that was stuffed to the brim was pushed across the steel table. Specs took it.

"Now we're also gonna need you to tell us who your witnesses are going to be. We need to get all our ducks in a row, so to speak," Admiral Spokes said. "You will be given two days to rally up who you'll be wanting to use. We'll send someone here in two days and you can tell them your choices then."

"Oh, and I should also add: You are permitted to have one extra member to your team. You'll be given some time to choose said person at a later date," said Admiral Phelps.

Without another word, the Galactic League officials left. All of the 'convicts,' as they had been called, stood up to be escorted back to wherever they were supposed to be. The time told Up that they were headed for chore duty.

Everyone else who wasn't on chore duty that day—everyone but February and Taz, basically—headed off on their own directions.

The three of them were the only ones on chore duty for that day. Up didn't know where the other three people who usually joined them had gone. He didn't really care. He was kind of glad for the alone time with Taz and February. It would give them time to discuss the trial. Granted, they had to keep the talk as simple as possible so that February could keep up with them, but something was better than nothing.

Officer Dukes had gone through his usual routine of assigning jobs and then departing. Since it was only the three of them, he assigned them all to the job of disinfecting the hand rails in all 20 flights of stairs that the west wing back staircase had.

"So like, we get another person to help us?" February asked.

"That's how it looks," Up said. He was getting frustrated at February's slow learning pace, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

"Well that's a good thing, si?" Taz asked. "We can find somebody who knows the ways of the law better than we do."

"I dunno, Taz," Up mumbled. "It seems like a bad idea, if you ask me."

"Hold the phone." February stopped scrubbing and put her hands on her hips. "We're getting someone to help us, right? How's that a bad idea?"

"Well, from what I've read, this sort o' thing don' usually happen," Up explained.

February just wore a confused expression on her face. Up decided that this wasn't something she needed to understand entirely, so he didn't explain it to her.

"C'mon, Taz. Think about it. They're trying innocent people for crimes just to protect Dr. Space-Claw. It wouldn't be a far jump to think that they were bending the rules a little—or maybe a lot—so that the trial went their way." Up looked Taz in the eye, hoping that she would get it.

Taz still was wary. "But Up. We need the help, jou know that," she said.

"Taz, this ain't what you think it is!" Up cried with more volume than necessary. Taz looked taken aback, and Up muttered a curse word under his breath. "Taz, can't you see that this thing is practically screaming 'I'm a fraud!'?"

"How is it screaming? Like, I don't think those kind of things can _scream_," February asked, but Up and Taz were too engaged in the soon-to-be argument that was growing like a storm cloud between them to notice.

"Up, jou are just too stubborn to accept the help! Jou idiota!" Taz jabbed her index finger into Up's chest.

Up grabbed Taz's hand and pushed it away. "You know I'd take the offer if I thought it meant a better chance of getting you out of here! You know me better than that, Taz. At least I thought you did."

Taz's heart tore in two, but she didn't allow her face to betray that. She wore a stone-cold expression, instead.

"Well I am sorry that I didn't live up to jour expectations." Taz stormed back down the stairs, in the direction they had come.

Up laid down his cleaning sponge and buried his face in his hands. Boy, had he screwed up, big time.

"Hey, Up?" February set her sponge down and sat down next to him.

"Whutd'ya want, Feb?" Up said. His voice sounded more whine-y than he hoped.

"Look, Up, I know that I'm not the first person you'd like to get advice from." Damn straight, Up thought. "But this is my area of expertise."

"Huh?" Up asked. He had a hunch as to what February was going at.

"Relationship issues, Up!" Up's suspicions were correct. "You two need each other, Up, but that isn't going to work out if you're fighting!"

"C'mon, Feb. Taz is my best friend," Up said.

"That's how all the best relationships start!" February cried enthusiastically. "Now just let me work my magic, and everything will be perfect!"

"No, you don' have to do that," Up said.

"But I really do, Up. As both your and Taz's friend, I simply must get you two together!" February squealed.

"No…" Up said.

"Please, please, please, please, please!" February pleated.

Up stood up and left with one final, "No!"

Up wouldn't tell a soul this, but he secretly hoped that February would do something, _anything,_ to get his and Taz's—relationship—moving along.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Longer, as promised. I'm nearing the end of my shit filler! I have big plans for this story… stay tuned!**

**Kateword**


	15. Avances y Rupturas

Taz punched the wall once, twice, three times. Her hand cried out in agony, but it didn't bother Taz in the least.

Taz wiped her bleeding knuckles on her shirt, staining the grey cotton red.

Because Taz had left chore duty early two days ago, she had been required to make it up at a later date.

Taz was supposed to be wiping down all the windows in the rec room, but her preoccupied mind made her work at a rather slow pace.

Taz was furious at Up. Him and his damn pride would be the death of not only her, but all the other rangers stuck in this mess as well.

Taz couldn't comprehend what was so wrong about the Galactic League's offer. They were being given an extra person to help them, and Up kept saying that "it was a setup," or whatever.

Taz thought that was a load of bull.

Or maybe it wasn't, a tiny voice inside of her kept saying. Maybe Up accusation wasn't all crap.

It wasn't totally loco to think that the Galactic League might be setting them up with this offer.

Taz didn't know what to think. On one hand, she wanted to trust Up and his judgment; on the other, they could really use all the help they could get.

Taz hated this confused feeling. She liked being sure of herself. It made everything simpler. Taz needed simplicity.

Taz heard footsteps coming towards the rec room, so she quickly began to scrub at one of the windows.

"Taz," Officer Dukes called out. "You're free to leave."

Taz gladly dropped her rag and cleaning solution back into the closet, ready to get out of there.

"Report to the gym, Taz," Officer Dukes ordered. Taz moaned. She was headed to her 'private' training session, where she would have to face Up. Taz was dreading it.

Taz was escorted to an empty gym. Maybe Up had chosen to bail. Taz couldn't decide if she was glad or upset by his absence.

Taz took the alone time to train. She had made it her personal goal to not loose any muscle mass whilst in X702. So far, she had succeeded.

Taz was doing simple weight-lifting exercises. She wasn't in the mood for much else.

Taz was startled and dropped the weights she had been holding when she heard a noise behind her. The weight dropped with a loud thud.

Up opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, but must have decided against it, because he closed it again.

Taz tried to keep her thoughts from thinking about what Up was going to have said, but she couldn't help herself.

Taz turned back to face the wall. She picked the weights she had dropped and continued to lift them.

Taz was forced to drop the weights once more when Up hugged her from behind. Taz shrieked in surprise.

"I'm so sorry, Taz. I was acting like a real ass before, and I'm sorry," Up said.

Taz squirmed around so that she was facing Up in his arms. "No, Up, I am the one who is sorry. I thought about what jou said, and jou're probably right. I should've listened," Taz apologized.

Taz buried her face in Up's neck, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent.

"I missed jou," Taz said.

"I missed you too, Taz," Up said.

Taz couldn't take it anymore. Up was so close, and Taz couldn't take it anymore. Taz moved her mouth so that it was on top of Up's. Up pulled Taz closer and closer against him. Taz wove her hands into Up's hair, gripping him close to her. Up tasted so good to Taz. She couldn't get enough of Up.

Taz had been waiting for this for dead-God knows how long. And it felt great.

Up had Taz full in his arms and Taz had never felt safer. They swayed back and forth on the spot. Up had been taken aback by Taz's actions, but he was glad she had done what she had. If Taz hadn't, Up sure would have one day or another.

Up slowly backed Taz against the wall, pressing his body firmly against hers. Up couldn't breathe, but he didn't dare stop kissing Taz. He feared that if he stopped now, he may never get another opportunity.

Taz's mouth felt soft—softer than he could have ever imagined. Up kept wanting more and more of her. Up felt a brief moment of caution: was it wrong to want Taz?

No, Up thought. Nothing that felt this good could ever be bad.

Up pulled back cautiously.

"Te amo, Up," Taz whispered.

Up looked confused; he didn't know what 'te amo' meant in Spanish. It was a term he had never heard Taz use before.

"It means I love jou, idiota," she grinned.

Up looked relieved. One: Taz loved him. And two: He loved her too.

Up gave Taz a quick kiss before saying, "Te amo too, Taz."

Taz laughed at Up's feeble attempt to use Spanish. Her laughter rang beautifully in Up's ears. He couldn't help but give her another passionate kiss, which Taz gladly received.

Up didn't know what a person was to do after he had just confessed his love to his best friend. Taz looked like she was at a loss, too.

They settled on grinning like idiots.

Up almost dropped Taz when he heard the sirens. Flashing red lights blinked from the ceiling, and gunshots were heard from the hall. Up set Taz down, and they went into action.

Up, being the guy who plans ahead, grabbed two of the sparring swords. They were relatively sharp, and could be used for minor defense purposes, but a better weapon was needed for long-term.

"This is a Code Red alert. All Officers are to secure the prisoners and then report to the appropriate emergency station immediately," a voice said over the intercom. It sounded pre-recorded.

"What is happening?" Taz called out to Up.

"I dunno, but I say we grab the others and get the hell outta here!" Up yelled. Taz nodded in agreement.

Up and Taz ran down a series of corridors that all looked identical. But they knew where they were going. The first person they ran into was Krayonder.

"Hey man! Like, what the hell's happening?" Krayonder asked.

"No sabo, Krayonder," Taz said. "Just go find Tootsie and Megagirl and meet us at the harbor," she instructed.

Krayonder saluted her. "Roger that, Taz."

"Oh, and grab some weapons if you can," Up added.

"Sure thing, man," Krayonder said before running off in the opposite direction.

Taz and Up then ran over to the cabin that Specs and February shared. Luckily, both were there.

The four of them then ran to find Bug. February informed the group that Bug would've been in the library now. But when they arrived at the library, it was aflame.

"Where now?" Taz asked.

"Um, over there!" February cried, pointing her finger behind Taz. Taz turned to see a sindged-looking Bug.

"Guys!" Bug cried as he ran to join the crowd. He gave February a big hug and a quick peck on the lips. "What the bug is going on here?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Specs said.

"I can't tell you what's going on, but I can tell you one thing for sure: we've got to get the hell outta here," Up said. Everyone appeared to agree with him.

Once Taz and Up had foun everyone, they sprinted for the harbor. Much to their luck, they found an unmanned weapon-distribution station along the way. Everyone made sure to grab all the guns that were there.

The harbor was nearly empty, much to Taz's surprise. She had assumed that everyone would be rushing to get out, but apparently she was wrong. The harbor was empty of any rangers, yet full of ships. They had their choosing from a rather nice fleet of ships.

Krayonder joined the group, accompanied by Tootsie and Megagirl, neither of whom knew much about what was going on.

Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to decide which ship would accommodate their needs the best. They just had to run into the first ship that had an unlocked door, which happened to be one of the worst ships that the Galactic League had out in the field.

"Wait! Taz!" Taz heard Amazon cry out. Taz was just about to close the door, but stopped. "Take me with you," Amazon pleated.

Taz knew taking another person along would be a bad idea. But though Taz hated to admit it, she had really grown attached to Amazon. Plus, Amazon had already lost a roommate once.

"Jou are to do exactly as I say, entiendes?" Taz ordered.

Amazon grinned from ear to ear and said, "Of course."

Amazon jumped through the Starship's door and buckled into one of the empty passenger seats.

"Wait," Taz said before Amazon could finish putting on her straps. "Jou said that jou used to be a fighter pilot, si?"

"Yeah," Amazon said.

"Can jou fly us out of here?" Taz asked. She figured that they better have an experienced pilot to get them safely out of X702.

Amazon appeared grateful that she could be of some assistance. "Yes."

Up removed himself from the pilot's chair and made room for Amazon.

Amazon had the Starship sailing out of the harbor before Taz could even sit down. Amazon's flying skills were a little rusty from all her time spent in prison, but you could tell she knew what she was doing. Taz was occasionally thrown to the floor from a sharp turn or turbulence, but at least she was free.

Taz stole a glance over at Up, who happened to be in her direction as well. Taz couldn't believe what had happened between them, only a mere 10 minutes ago. It felt like forever since they had kissed.

Taz gripped the wall railing and looked out a porthole. The stars whizzed by at a dizzying pace, but Taz wasn't bothered in the least. It felt good to be on a moving Starship again. It felt good to be out of X702, where your moves were always watched. It felt good to be free.

"Taz!" Amazon yelled from the pilot's chair. "This ship has a tracking device encoded in it. We need to ditch it as soon as possible, before X702 realizes that it's gone."

Shit, Taz thought. "Just get us out of wherever the hell we are, then we can find another ship."

"Where? From what I'm hearing on the feeds, the G.L.E.E.'s collapsing. There was some sort of rebellion at HQ, and a lot of Admirals were assassinated. There aren't going to be any spare Starships lying around the galaxy!" Amazon cried.

"Specs!" Taz yelled out for her. Specs came over quickly. "Help Amazon find us another Starship!"

Specs nodded and went over to the Starship's computer system.

Taz quickly pulled up the feeds on a computer, trying desperately to find out what the hell was happening at the Galactic League.

She found the most current—and accurate—article she could and went to go show it to Up.

"Up! Mirate!" Taz said. She showed Up the article.

"_Head of the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration Dr. Space-Claw has rallied up an army of 10,000 Starship Rangers and robots and used them to attach the G.L.E.E. headquarters. 8 Galactic officials have been murdered, 4 are missing and 2 are in critical conditions,_" Up read. "_Space-Claw and his army are currently holding the G.L.E.E. headquarters hostage, along with all Rangers and staff inside. There are rumored attacks on Earth, as well as other G.L.E.E. offices, but nothing has been confirmed._"

"Ven aquí!" Taz called to the other rangers. They all read the article, and were shocked.

"What're we going to do? We can't just let Space-Claw get away with this!" Krayonder yelled.

"We gotta fight him then, men," Up said. "We can do it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the shit ending :/**

**I also realized something: I write most of this story on the bus ride to and from school. Wutta stud I am.**

**I rigged the Finder icon on my iMac to now be the face of Tyler Brunsman because, as we all know, HE'S A FINDER!**

**Oh, and Starkid dropped the SPACE tour album tuesday. *new music to fall asleep to every night***

**Kateword**


	16. La Gimnasta

Up paced the topsy-turvy corridors of the Starship. Amazon wasn't the greatest pilot, but she was the best they had.

Specs had located a dormant Starship on the moon of planet P99 nearby, so that's where they were headed.

Up looked through an open door to the pilot's chamber, where he saw Taz in the co-pilot's chair. Up kept waiting for an opportunity for he and Taz to be alone—an opportunity that Up knew wouldn't be happening in the near future. It would be dangerous for the group to split up, with the fact that Dr. Space-Claw had taken the Galactic League hostage. And that now, they were all fugitives.

The Starship jerked, and Up went flying against the steel wall. One glance out a porthole window told Up that they had landed. There was a mad rush to the exit; everyone was eager to be on ground again.

"Wait!" Specs yelled, stopping everyone. "This moon does not have an atmosphere that supports human life!"

Bug and Krayonder dealt out space suits for everyone. Up inspected the suit briefly; it was one of the early uniform models. He pulled it on over his X702 uniform and secured the helmet before exiting the Starship.

It felt fantastic to be free. Up felt extremely childish for doing so, but he just ran and ran and ran, the planet rushing by at all sides. It was a kind of thrill you didn't get whilst running on a treadmill.

Up made sure to keep the Starship in sight at all times; he didn't want to get left behind on his first day of freedom.

Up ran for as long as he could. But all too soon, Bug called out for Up. "Hey, Up! We gotta go!"

Up ran back to their new Starship, where everyone but Taz was waiting. Up looked off into the distance. He was blinded by the nearby star, but he could barely make out the silhouette of Taz. She was practicing her gymnastics. Her limber body did round-off after cartwheel after back-handspring, all looking effortless.

Taz had been a talented—and when he said talented, he meant _very_ talented—gymnast back in Mexico before she joined the Galactic League. If everything had gone as planned, and the robots hadn't attacked Taz and her family, Taz would've been on the Mexico Olympics team.

Taz had done a couple of her routines for Up over the years, and from what Up knew about gymnastics, Taz was a beautiful gymnast.

But Taz had gradually stopped practicing. Up had a suspicion as to why she didn't practice anymore; he knew that she had been beaten up on multiple occasions for being a 'prissy girl.'

Now, Up was lucky to see Taz doing gymnastics maybe a handful of times a year.

Up watched Taz, absorbing the beauty of her.

"Up?" February asked.

"Huh," Up said.

"You want to go get Taz? Or should I?"

Up shook his head. "I'll go get her."

"Don't take too long, okay?" February said. Up just nodded.

Up jogged over to Taz, being careful not to startle her.

"Hey," Up said awkwardly.

Taz got startled, and fell backwards from whatever move she had been doing.

"We gotta go," Up said.

"Oh, okay." Taz sounded upset to be leaving her freedom. "Before we leave, can I talk to jou?"

Up was glad she asked. "Sure."

"So about what happened before…" By that, Up assumed that she meant the kiss.

"Listen," Up said. He wanted to get out what he had to say before she said anything. "I meant what I said, and what I did. I really do love you, Taz."

Taz smiled. "Good. I was going to say the same." Taz grabbed Up's hand and gave it a squeeze. Up bent down and gave Taz a quick kiss. He figured that everyone else would be watching—they always loved to spy on the two of them—so he didn't do anything more.

Taz walked back to the Starship by Up's side, where she belonged.

"You know, Taz," Up said. "You should really do gymnastics more often. I like watching you do it."

Taz did something very rare: she blushed. Up found it cute, in an odd sort of way.

"Maybe I will," Taz said loftily. Up nudged her playfully.

When they got back to the group, they got a lot of 'looks' from the others. Up didn't care. He was free, and he had Taz. So what did he care what the others thought?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm mad. After scanning the tumblr. feeds I can't find a single cast spoiler on Holy Musical Btman because they had to sign a damn legal agreement that says they won't leak the cast. That pisses me off . Oh well. Sorry for the shortness. I just wanted to get something out there for the weekend.**

**JMOMS on Monday! I'll be sure to tell you all about it!**

**Happy St. Patty's day! I feel kinda dumb, cuz I didn't know that it was today until I saw all the dumb posts on Facebook...**

**Story time: a couple days ago, I was texting my friend(a fellow Starkid) and we were both mad about something so I said "That sucks royal hippogriff, man," and her response was supposed to be "Ik, I'm in a rage!" but was instead "IK I'm in a rape!" FAIL xD**

**Kateword**


	17. Horas de la noche

The new Starship was tiny, but it was the best Specs could find with the current circumstances.

The Starship looked more like a pod ship on the interior. There were only two rooms in the Starship: the conjoined cockpit and passenger seats and an equipment room. A plaque on the wall said that this ship could house up to 16 Rangers, but they had trouble fitting their 9 in the ship.

This Starship was much more high-tech than the one they stole from X702, and it hadn't taken Amazon long to figure out the auto-pilot. Amazon set their destination for a distant planet whose name was nothing more than a number. The planet was of no use to the Galactic League; it was far off from civilization, it was small in diameter, it had no useful resources. The Galactic League had merely given it a number to classify it by and left it be. The only reason that Up knew its number was because every Ranger at the Academy that required him to know every planet, moon, and star in the universe before they could graduate.

The Starship's navigation system estimated that the planet was still a day's travel away, and everyone was tired from their eventful day, so they had decided to use the spare time to sleep. Tootsie had stumbled upon some sleeping bags stowed in the supplies closet, which everyone laid out across the floor to use as padding. Spare tarps doubled as blankets.

The Rangers had to lay sandwiched one right next to the other in order for everyone to fit. Up had made sure that his spot was next to Taz's.

Taz's tiny frame was shivering underneath the covers. The X702 uniforms were made of such thin cotton that was extremely impractical for survival. That combined with the cold tarp made Taz chilled to the bone.

Up found sleep impossible with all the shivering that Taz was doing beside him. Up wrapped his arm around Taz. She didn't appear to wake, but she did take notice of the sudden warmth. Up flinched when Taz's freezing hands crawled under his shirt and touched his stomach. She was really cold.

Taz buried her face in Up's shirt, and once she appeared to be comfortable, she relaxed into Up's body. Up ran his hands up and down Taz's arms, which were covered in goosebumps.

Taz's hair tickles Up's chin. 'Since when has her hair been so long?' Up thought. Taz's hair had never been past her chin before. Now it was past her shoulders. The new length brought forth curls that Up didn't know she had before. Up rather liked them.

Up moved one of his hands off of Taz's arm and started to play with a rogue curl. Taz's hair was frizzy and tangled, yet still soft as ever.

Taz moaned softly. "Wha?"' She asked. Her eyes squinted open. She looked momentarily confused, but then everything seemed to click in her mind. "What are jou doing?"

"You were cold, so I thought I'd keep you warm," Up said slowly.

Taz gave a sleepy smile. "Gracias."

Up kissed Taz's forehead softly. "Go back to sleep, you need your rest."

"Same goes for jou." Taz smirked sleepily.

"I'll sleep when I want to," Up joked.

Taz playfully slugged his arm. "I tell you what jou want."

Up smirked. "And what do I want?"

Taz moved her face so it was directly above Up's. "This."

Taz lowered her lips down onto Up's. Their lips moved slowly, in synch, as if they were dancing. Up felt as though he were made for this: being with Taz. Being with Taz always felt so right.

Up wove his hands around Taz's waist to pull her as close to him as possible. Taz dug her fingers into Up's graying hair. Up felt himself heating up more and more with each minute that went by. Up didn't know how he had survived all those years without having Taz like he did now. Up couldn't stand any minute apart from Taz nowadays. It was like she had become a part of him now.

"I love you," Up said into Taz's mouth. "I really do, Taz."

"Me too. I love jou too," Taz whispered.

"Guys," February moaned next to Up. "Like, this is totally cute and everything, but shut up!"

Up removed his lips from Taz's neck. They were both beet red.

"Lo siento," Taz muttered.

"Whatever," February said.

Taz settled down onto Up's chest, and closed her eyes.

Up closed his eyes, but he didn't fall asleep. His heart was racing much to fast.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The next story I write, I want to name "Don't You Fake It." It seems like a rather nice title for a story to me. I'll one day write a story bearing that title. Apologies for the shortness. I just physically can't drag my fingers along the keyboard. Next chapter'll be longer. Promise.**

**Kateword**


	18. Las Dubas

Taz hung up her space suit in the supply closet; the planet they were going to had its own atmosphere.

Taz was anxious to exit the tiny Starship. She couldn't take being in such close quarters with some of the other Rangers.

The Starship was circling around the planet, piloted by Amazon, trying to find a suitable landing location. The planet had unusually rocky terrain; it was no wonder the Galactic League didn't have a use for it.

Taz, along with everyone else, waited near the exit portal.

The previous night, they had all gone over a game plan: wait on the new planet for a day or two to let what's going on at the Galactic League settle down. Then, once they knew what they were up against, they could devise a plan to somehow bring down Dr. Space-Claw and his army.

Taz scanned the group; Tootsie, who was playing with some buttons on the wall that he really shouldn't have been touching. Krayonder and Specs, who were flirting hopelessly with each other. Bug, who was squeezing a little bug-talk lesson in for February. Megagirl, who was scanning the feeds for news on the Galactic League and current developments on the situation. Up, who was looking at Taz.

Taz never thought she'd say anything close to this, but these people were the closest thing she had to family. She'd been through the ringer with these people, and they'd somehow stuck together. That's what family was. At least, that's what Taz thought family was.

Family was people who were there for each other in the times that were bad. Family was there for each other when they did something dumb and needed help fixing it. Family was someone to share memories with. Family was someone who was there to make sure you didn't do something stupid and embarrass yourself. Family was there to be what you weren't; to be what you couldn't.

That's what this group was: each Ranger contributed something that the other couldn't. Up had a leadership quality unlike anyone else; Taz had fearless, fiery courage that nobody else had; Specs had logic, exceeding far beyond everyone else's; Megagirl had powers none of the others could measure up to; Bug had a wisdom unknown to the rest; February had a care-free attitude that kept the group happy; Krayonder kept calm, being a model for the others; Tootsie had no prejudice: he judged no one; and even Amazon, who had only been with the group for a few months, offered her spunky attitude, always lifting the spirits of everyone in the area.

Sure, they got on Taz's nerves sometimes—well, more than sometimes—but they were everything Taz wasn't.

In the very few romantic films that she had seen in the past, Taz remembered that they described the protagonist's "perfect other half" as everything they weren't. Taz somehow felt that it also was fitting with family.

Taz was brought out of her internal thoughts when everyone flew backward. Taz was flattened to the ground by Krayonder, who stammered out a few apologies to avoid getting punched.

Once freed from Krayonder, Taz stood up and waited for Amazon to release the lock on the exit portal. Once opened, there was a mad dash to leave the ship. Taz nearly tripped over her own two feet as she ran a circle around the Starship.

Taz stopped running and gathered with the rest of the rangers.

"First, we've got to disable the tracking device on the ship," Amazon said. "They may or may not know that we're in possession of the Starship, but they'll know that something's up when they're receiving a signal from this planet."

"Great," Taz said, dripping with sarcasm. "Who knows how to do that?"

Amazon raised her hand hesitantly. "I was required to learn a little bit of that kind of stuff back at the Academy. But I don't know how much of it I can apply with the, um, newer ships." She looked slightly embarrassed by how out-of-date she was with the technology.

"Hey! I think I know a little bit about this kind of stuff," Krayonder said.

"And me too, of course," Specs said.

"Great. You three get right on that," Up said. "Megagirl," Up turned to look at Megagirl.

"Yes, Up?" She asked.

"See if you can download any manuals or somethin' on the ship. Maybe that'll help the others," Up said. Megagirl gave what could be interpreted as a salute before she zoned out, presumably searching the data base for documents on the ship.

"We should probably make camp, you know for the night and everything," Bug said.

"Right!" cried February. "And food too! I'm like, totally starving."

Taz hadn't given food much thought. The Starship had food on it, but Taz hadn't really looked at how much food was actually there. Based on the size of the ship and where they had found it, there probably wasn't enough food for more than a few more days.

"We should send out scouting teams to look for something to eat," Up said. "That should be the first thing we get done. I can go look around."

"I'll go with jou," Taz quickly volunteered. February wiggled her eyebrows at the two of them, but they ignored it. "The rest of jou can use the camping supplies from the Starship to set up camp."

"Well alright then," Tootsie said.

Taz grabbed one of the zappers from the ship and tossed it to Up, then grabbing another for herself. She made sure that the setting was on 'pew.' You always got the best results from the 'pew' setting.

"Vamanos," Taz said.

She and Up made sure to stay very close together. If there was any one lesson that had really been taught at the Academy, it was that you should never be alone in uncharted territory.

Taz held onto Up's hand for comfort. His calloused skin made her feel safe, in some irrational way.

Taz felt unusually jumpy. Any sound would set her on edge, ready to gun down whomever or whatever made the noise. Taz knew that this was dangerous; what if it was just Specs? Or Tootsie? Then Taz would be responsible for their murder, which would eat her up from the inside out.

Up gently squeezed her hand. "Quit worrying, Taz," Up said with confidence. Taz knew that it was fake. Up was just as scared as she was. But Taz had learned over the years that Up's false bravado somehow calmed his fears down a tiny bit.

Taz slowly moved her zapper back and forth across her field of vision, prepared to shoot at anything that crossed her path.

Taz and Up ended up finding no living creatures; only small plantlife. With a little bit of consulting from the botany book that Up had thought to bring, they determined which plants could be brought back to the others as food.

Taz wanted to talk to Up, but she didn't quite know what to say. Things were—_different_—between them now. Taz wasn't quite sure how to hold a normal conversation with him.

Lucky for Taz, Up was the one to break the ice. "So whatd'ya thinks going on back at X702?"

"Yo no se," Taz admitted. "All I know is that I am glad we are out of there."

"Me too, Taz." They fell back into silence.

After walking a little ways, Taz said, "What are we going to do? Once the Galactic League settles down? Are we going to run in blind like personas locas? We don't know what to expect from them. We've been stuck in the dark for months! We don't know what's changed—we don't know whose dead!" Taz threw her arms in the air for emphasis.

Up blocked Taz's path with his tall frame. "How long have you known me?"

Taz looked confused. "What?"

"You know what I asked. Now answer me," Up demanded.

"Um, I don't know, a long time?" Taz said, not knowing what he wanted.

"Now name me one time that I have ever let you down." Up rested his hands on each of Taz's shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Never," Taz mumbled.

"So why're you doubting me now?" Up look softened.

Taz felt stupid for thinking the way she had been. Up never gave her any reason to doubt him, and that's all she had done thus far.

"I'm sorry, Up." Taz—acting stupid yet again—let her guard down so she could wrap herself in Up's arms.

"Me too," Up said into Taz's unruly hair. "Me too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: AAAAAAHHHHHH! Joe Moses One Man Showses was AMAZING! He played Snape for us, and oh my God! Jaime was there, and I MET HER! She signed my shirt, and took a picture with me and OH MY GOD! I'm on cloud nine right now. Ah. I am one lucky duck.**

**On another note, sorry for the delayed posting. I've just been super busy lately. But here's one that's longer, sortof. I hope it's to your liking.**

**Oh and I have a request for you readers: if you happen to know of any names thy would fit the "starship" feel, do feel free to tell me them via review or PM. thanks!**

**Kateword**


	19. Tiré

It was day two of being a fugitive. It wasn't really anything that Up hadn't been through already; the Academy really prepared you for every possible worst-case-scenario. Eating the plants that the planet grew: no problem; sleeping outdoors with nothing but a thin scrap of vinyl to protect you from the weather outside: easy. That sort of stuff didn't bother Up. He was made for these sort of conditions. Some of the others, however, didn't take as well to the drastic change of environment.

"Eh! There's like, a thousand rocks under me and they keep poking me!" February whined.

Everyone had learned that it was easier to just ignore February than to try and explain to her that there was no way to make her more comfortable.

Taz moaned from the sleeping bag next to Up. "When will she shut up?"

Up laughed. "You can hold up to a little bit of whining, Taz." Taz playfully hit him on the shoulder.

Up sat up and looked over at their temporary technology setup. Specs and Megagirl were using whatever computers the Starship had, and were busily trying to gather up as much information about the new and "improved" Galactic League.

So far they had found maps of the remodeled HQ, names of dead officials, and articles on the new laws that Dr. Space-Claw had implemented. It seemed as though Dr. Space-Claw had waited for the group to be locked up to start taking over the Galactic League. That's probably exactly what he did, Up thought.

Up looked around the planet. He had only been there for a day at most, and he already felt like he had seen the entire planet. There wasn't much variation to it.

"What the—?" Specs said. "We've lost our connection to the feeds!"

Taz and Up leapt up out of their sleeping bags and rushed over to the computers. The screens were entirely black. Specs tries pulling on a few wires to see if it would change anything, but nothing was different. Taz shook the computer for good measure.

"Ow!" February squeaked. "Something pricked me!"

Up rushed over to February's side. He could only assume the worst: a poisonous animal bite. By now, everyone was surrounding February.

"Where does it hurt?" Up asked.

"Right here." February lifted up her shirt to reveal a tiny dart sticking out of her side.

Taz plucked it out of February's skin and brought it close to her face for examination. She brought it close to ner nose and sniffed it. "Poison, by the smell of it."

"Oh my 'effen dead-god!" February started waiving her hands around in front of her face. "I'm going to die!"

"Not necessarily," Specs said. "Some poisons have only mild effects."

"Feb!" Bug held her hand in his claw. "Stay calm! Shhh, it's okay. You're not going to die."

"I love you, Bug!" February said before she zoned out. Her eyes fell out of focus, and she was no longer holding herself up.

"February!" Bug yelled.

"She's fine, Bug," Up said. "She's still gotta pulse."

"Thank bug," Bug said. "But wait—then what happened to her?"

"I can conclude that February has been poisoned with some sort of sedation drug," Specs said.

"Well now that we know she'll live, who shot her?" Amazon asked.

"Ow, man!" Krayonder rubbed his side.

"My exterior armor has been punctured with an unknown substance," Megagirl said.

Both Megagirl and Krayonder lost consciousness.

"We're dropping like flies!" Amazon cried. "Who's shooting at us?"

Up scanned the dim horizon, but couldn't see anything.

Taz winced beside him. He knew that she had been shot.

"Taz!" Up cried.

"Don't worry, Up. It won't kill me," Taz said bleakly. Up made sure to soften her fall when she went.

One by one, Up watched his comrades get sniped. The worst thing was knowing that he too would get sniped. It was only a matter of time.

Only he and Bug were left. "Whatever happens, we gotta stick together, okay?" Up said.

"I know," Bug said.

Up felt the expected pain. His back felt a tiny pinch on his arm.

It was no mor than 30 seconds before Up was out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Something's been up with my fanfic account lately, I'm unsure of what went on...but I think it's fixed.**

**HUNGER GAMES WAS AWESOME! I'm not going to spoil anything for those of you who haven't seen it...but just wondering: am i the only one who thought the cornucopia looked like a big silver helicopter?**

**SPRING BREAK! Many posts to come!**

**Kateword**


	20. Viejas Caras

Taz awoke in a cell similar to her one at X702, but much less accommodating. It was smaller, and had no furniture. The walls were made of the red rock, much resembling the surface of the planet. Taz assumed that the cell had just been hollowed out from the earth around it.

As the spots cleared from her eyes, Taz was grateful to find the rest of the Rangers in the cell as well.

Taz's stomach growled unpleasantly, and was she was soon spewing any food that she had in her system onto the floor. She took notice that she wasn't the only one getting sick. It was probably a side effect of the drug.

Taz stood quickly to her feet, only to be pulled right back down again from the dizzying feeling in her head. She let out a small moan.

"Taz? Ya awake?" Taz recognized the voice as Up's. She reached out and found Up's arm, which she used to pull Up closer.

"What happened?" Taz asked in a daze.

"I dunno, really. I just woke up a little while ago," Up admitted. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I just wish that someone'd come down here so we could find out what's goin' on."

"Me too," Taz said. She leaned back against Up's chest, trying to stop the room from spinning.

"Oh my dead-god, I'm going to die!" February shrieked. "There's no air down here! I can barely see! What am I going to do?"

Taz looked up at the single lamp that was hanging from the ceiling. It was extremely old-fashioned; by the looks of it, it ran on kerosene. Taz initially wondered why their captors wouldn't have just used a small electric lamp that ran on batteries or something, but then she figured it out. If you lived this far away from civilization, you wouldn't waste your resources.

Tootsie wasn't coping to the tiny space as well. "Back on Farm Planet, I ain't never been in a room this littl'. I don' like it much." His face looked pale, whether it be from nervousness or a drug side effect Taz wasn't sure.

Taz squinted over at the opposite corner of the cell. Amazon was sitting, with her knees curled tight against her chest. Bug was still out, along with Specs and Krayonder. Taz hoped they would come around soon. She didn't like them just lying there, looking all dead and lifeless.

"Do jou guys remember anything from before?" Taz asked the rangers who were awake.

"I know I got hit right here," February said. She pulled up the shirt she was wearing to inspect the area. Taz was sickened to see that the area around the puncture wound was turning a gross purple-blue, like a bruise. "Like, ewww! It's like, infected, isn't it?"

Taz quickly pulled up her own shirt to look at the small hole that the dart had given her. It too had a quickly spreading ring of purple-blue around it. Tootsie and Up checked their injection spots, and Taz and February looked at those who were still passed out. Every single one of them—with the exception of Megagirl—had a purple-blue infection growing.

"Whoever shot us probably didn't use safe drugs," Up said.

Great, Taz thought. Just what she needed. A possibly-lethal injection of some unknown drug given to her by kidnappers.

Taz subconsciously itched the injection wound.

"Don' scratch at it," Up said quietly to Taz. "You'll just make it worse."

Taz nodded and pulled her hands back, only to find her scratching at it a minute later.

"Taz," Up scolded, making her feel foolish. "Stop, you're making it spread faster."

"Lo siento," Taz apologized.

Taz looked across the room at the cell door; a large piece of scrap metal that had multiple dents in it. Taz presumed that the metal had been taken from an out of service Starship. The metal didn't look all that thick. Taz figured that she could break her way through if it came down to it.

Up grabbed Taz's hands and held them tightly. "Taz!"

Taz became aware of the fact that she had continued to scratch. "I can't help it! It itches!"

"I know it does, Taz. Mine does too. But you're only hurting yourself by scratching," Up said.

Taz looked embarrassed, and didn't say a word. Up continued to hold her hands while they waited.

Eventually the rest of them came to consciousness. After everyone had gotten over the claustrophobia that the cell gave them, they got bored. The cell didn't offer much to look at, and everyone was apprehensive as to what would happen next.

Taz had began to doze off after what felt like a lifetime, but could have been only 20 minutes. She just didn't know anymore.

Taz was startled out of her sleep by the sound of keys. Someone was opening the lock.

Everyone stood up at once, both mentally and physically preparing for whoever—or whatever—would open the door.

The first people to enter the room appeared to be guards of some sort, dressed identically in black jumpsuits. Some sort of insignia was on the armbands, but Taz couldn't get a good look at them to see if she could figure out what organization was behind all this.

The guards were followed by a female. By the way she dressed and presented herself, Taz figured that she had a high ranking. The unknown female had short-cropped black hair, which flared out from her head in all directions. You couldn't distinguish the pupil from the iris in her eyes, they were so dark. Her eyes contrasted greatly from her pale skin, which she probably got from being in such a dark planet.

Taz heard a gasp from across the cell. Amazon looked like she'd seen a phantom.

Taz turned back to face the female. She too looked extremely shocked.

Amazon opened her mouth to speak. "Osiris?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I generally dislike cliffhangers, but I'm feeling like a cliffhanger is required here. I'm über excited that my plot is starting to all come together! YAY!**

**My request still stands: I need names! If you awesome readers out there can offer up any "Starship" sounding names, do feel free to tell me! I have a small list going so far of names that I stole from my Kooky pens ^-^ Creative, ain't it?**

**Kateword**


	21. Espera

The female officer—now named Osiris—stared at Amazon. "It's President Osiris now."

Taz turned back to look at Amazon. She looked stung.

"You will each be questioned individually before we decide what to do with you," President Osiris said curtly. Taz detected an Egyptian accent. "Take them." President Osiris waived her hands at the guards surrounding her before turning to leave.

More guards began to surround the group as they walked through tunnel after tunnel underground.

Taz held tight to Up's hand as they wandered the underground tunnels.

Taz couldn't help but feel that she had heard the name Osiris mentioned before back at X702, but she couldn't remember when Amazon had mentioned her.

"Hey Up?" Taz whispered, being careful not to let the guards hear.

"Yea, Taz?" Up leaned down so his mouth was right next to Taz's ear, giving her the shivers.

"Where have we heard Amazon mention the name Osiris before?" she asked.

Up looked puzzled. "Now that you mention it, the name does sound familiar. But I dunno where I've heard it before." Up scratched his head quietly.

Taz thought hard about Osiris on the way to the private interrogation rooms.

Once there, they were divided up so that each person stood outside of their own interrogation room. Taz was apprehensive of what would happen. It would really be bad if this were some branch of the Galactic League; the officers would soon find out that they were fugitives and they'd be in deeper trouble than ever. But on the other hand, if they were another secret organization, then they may feel like they're threatening their security. Taz's only hope was that they were a friendly group, but based on their "welcome," Taz wasn't so sure.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and a burly looking officer escorted Taz in.

Taz sat down on what was supposed to be a chair, but in actuality was a couple sandbags piled on top of each other. Taz now knew that this was no branch of the Galactic League; the G.L.E.E. always had to appear to be the most powerful, by having the finest facilities and most high tech equipment. They never let any of their facilities fall below par.

A moment later, an officer for the unknown organization sat down across from Taz.

"Hello, my name is Chief Specter," he said. "And your name is?"

"Taz," was all she said. She felt no need to tell the officer her last name.

Taz looked behind Chief Specter and saw a scrawny looking boy scribbling away quickly at a piece of paper. Taz was curious, but didn't think that it was her time to be asking the questions.

"Alright, _Taz,_ why did you come to our planet?" Chief Specter asked. His electric blue eyes looked kind, as if saying _I'm your friend, you can tell me all your secrets_, but Taz knew better than to fall into the trap.

"Why should I tell jou?" Taz asked stubbornly.

Chief Specter cocked his head to the side. "Because I am your only hope of being set free, so you _will _cooperate with me, or else."

Taz debated on how much she should actually tell him. She decided that the simple truth would be best. "Me and mis amigos were prisoners at X702—you may or may not be familiar with the place. There was a riot there after everything that happened at the Galactic League headquarters and in the confusion me and my friends ended up on a Starship. We went to the first planet we could."

Taz found the story hardly believable herself, but Chief Specter seemed to accept it.

"Okay. So then, you are fugitives, no?" Chief Specter asked.

Taz hesitated before nodding.

"What were you put in prison for in the first place?" Chief Specter prodded.

"We were wronged by the Galactic League and Dr. Space-Claw, but they wouldn't admit to it. So they just got rid of us to cover their mistakes," Taz said simply.

Chief Specter scribbled something down on some papers, and pulled out a small communicator. He spoke in a language unfamiliar to Taz, so she couldn't tell the nature of what he was saying. But she couldn't help but feel like she had felt something wrong.

"You are an active member of the G.L.E.E.—at least, you were before your imprisonment?" Chief Specter asked.

"Si," Taz said curtly.

"For how long?"

"Since my fifteenth birthday," Taz said. She didn't know how long ago that was. She only had a rough estimate.

Chief Specter wrote some more things down on the paper. Taz tried to get a glimpse of it, but it, too, was in another language.

"You are free to return to the holding cell." Chief Specter waived Taz out of the interrogation room. Taz looked one last time at the scrawny boy in the back corner before being shooed out by guards.

Taz walked back down the dirt tunnels back to the holding cell, as Chief Specter had called it.

The holding cell was empty, apart from February.

"February," Taz said in a low voice. "What exactly did jou tell the officers?"

"Just that the G.L.E.E. totally ripped us off, and that we didn't mean to find their stupid hideout," February said absentmindedly. She appeared to be more interested in her cuticles than in the fact that they were buried beneath the ground in some unknown planet.

Taz nodded. "That can't directly hurt us," Taz mused.

The cell door opened, and Up and Tootsie entered.

"What did jou say?" Taz asked yet again.

Both Tootsie and Up said things along the lines of what February had said.

Taz sat down on a sand bag, and Up sat next to her.

"Have you figured out what organization this is?" Up asked.

"No," Taz said. "But I don't think it's the Galactic League we're dealing with."

"Me too." Up ran his fingers through his hair. "What do you think they're gonna do with us?"

"That all depends," Taz said, "on whether they're pro or anti G.L.E.E." Up nodded in agreement.

The last of the Rangers got shoved back into the cell, and the waiting game began right where it left off. Taz picked at her finger nails, witling them down to the quick.

Up gripped Taz's fingers to stop her from picking at the now-bleeding nail bed. "Quit losing more blood than necessary," Up scolded.

"Whatever," Taz grunted.

Taz looked over at the corner where Amazon was sitting. She looked confused.

Taz wished that she could remember where she'd heard the name Osiris mentioned before. Taz knew that Amazon had told her the name in the past, but she couldn't remember when. It was on the tip of her tongue, but the memory just wouldn't come.

Taz closed her eyes for just a second, but ended up falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Taz awoke with a start. Most the other Rangers appeared to be sleeping. Taz disentangled herself from Up's arm and stood up. She didn't realize how stiff she was until then.<p>

Taz paced around the world, being careful not to step on anyone sprawled across the floor.

Taz wondered how long it had been since the interrogation.

Taz knelt down in front of the metal door. She knocked the metal in the center carefully. It wasn't even a centimeter thick. Taz unhooked her dog tag necklace and held the one with her X702 ID number on it between her forefinger and thumb. She scratched around the lock. Slivers of the metal rained down and littered the floor.

Taz shifted her knee, and a piece of the metal shaving jammed into her kneecap painfully. She bit down on her tongue hard to keep from yelling out. Taz looked down at the wound on her knee, which had a tiny bit of blood forming around it. For a simple solution, Taz ripped off the edge of her shirt and tied it tight around her knee.

Being more careful now, Taz continued to scratch at the lock.

Taz worked the metal away until she could wiggle it around in the door.

"Taz, whut're you doin'?" Up sat upright, sleep heavy in his eyes.

"Shhh, Up, jou will wake the others," Taz hissed.

Up's eyes widened when he realized what Taz was doing.

"Taz!" Up stood up and took two small strides over to the door. "Stop!" Up swiped the dog tags out of Taz's hand. "This ain't the way to go about things."

Taz took her fingers and began scratching at the lock again, despite Up telling her not to.

"Taz," Up said. "Taz!" he repeated when she didn't respond.

Up gripped her wrists and dragged her away from the door. Metal shards dug themselves into Taz's legs, but Taz didn't notice anymore.

"Stop it!" Taz cried. "I've been locked away for too long Up, too long! I need to be free!"

The others began to stir awake.

"I know, Taz!" Up held Taz against the wall. "But we don't know what the future holds. Maybe we'll be let free! But that won't happen if you jeopardize that by tryin' a stupid jailbreak!"

Taz struggled to break out of Up's grip, but failed. A lone tear fell down Taz's face, followed by a waterfall. "I can't take it anymore," Taz sobbed.

Up wrapped his arms around Taz's petite frame and held her close. "Shhh, its okay, Taz. Everything'll be fine."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm excited…this story's already reached chapter 21(technically 20). And it's at, like, 26,000 words. Half way to my goal! But I've still got a lot of plot left for you guys :)**

**Oh and, if you like my story, please review! It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside ^-^**

**Kateword**


	22. La Offerta

"Attention," someone who went by Admiral Mowgli said. "You are all to report to President Osiris's office. Follow me."

Everyone in the cell stood up in unison; they were grateful to finally be hearing something as opposed to sitting lifelessly in the holding cell.

Taz and Up walked side by side, both being each others moral support.

Taz silently wished on every single comet that she had ever seen that her and the others would be granted freedom.

Taz crossed and uncrossed her arms during the walk to President Osiris's office. Up eyed her skeptically, but didn't say anything. He saw no physical harm in her actions.

Admiral Mowgli lead them down too many hallways and security checkpoints to count before they reached a large steel door.

"It will be just a moment," Admiral Mowgli informed them. "Stand here until now." Admiral Mowgli glanced down at her tablet before hurrying off down another hall.

"This place must be like, totally top secret," February said, "'cause there's like, MAJOR security!"

Everyone nodded, because buried between all of the February-talk was some truth.

"Este es la pregunta: Are they trying to keep something out, or in?" Taz asked the group.

Silence followed. Everyone was trying to piece together the sketchy information that they'd gathered thus far.

President Osiris led whatever operation was going on here, and Amazon knew her from somewhere; these people were very nervous about outsiders; there appeared to be lots of people on their side. That was about all Taz knew, and even these were just theories.

Taz looked up to see the steel doors opening; inside was an elevator.

The lot of them filed in, accompanied by two guards. The guards each gave a thumb print before pressing a floor button, propelling the elevator car down so far into the ground that Taz's ears popped.

The doors slid back to reveal yet another long, continuous hallway, though you could see the end of this one. A plain door—which Taz assumed to be their destination—drew closer and closer with each step.

Taz's breath quickened.

A guard opened the door, and everyone filed inside.

President Osiris was hidden behind a tiny desk overloaded with papers, files, and random objects that could have been found anywhere. The Rangers were forced to stand against the back wall and wait for President Osiris to finish up with whatever she was working on.

President Osiris set down the papers she had been holding and looked up. "Let's cut to the chase. After much deliberation from our high officers, we've decided to extend our hand out to you." Taz didn't know what that meant. "We know you cause: we've been rejected by the G.L.E.E. as well. We know a bit about what you've done, and we are well aware of all of your skill levels. You would be a great addition to our organization."

"If you don't mind my asking," Up interjected, "What is 'your organization'?"

"Oh, of course. We are the Respinto. All of us here have been rejected by the Galactic League at one point in time. We work as sort of, a counter-group of the G.L.E.E. We work to make sure that they don't have too much of a powerful hold on the universe," said President Osiris.

Taz didn't know if she should believe them. It would make sense, in a way. But it also was a lot to take in. Here they were—the Respinto—saying that they wanted you to work against the only home you had ever known. The home that had cast you aside the minute you weren't good for them; the home that stuck them in an eternal time out in the lowest of places.

Taz's thoughts were all over the place; she couldn't pinpoint her focus on any one thought for more than a few seconds before it was on to the next thought.

"So, after a vote from the high officers, we have decided to extend out invitation to you. We would like for you to join the Respinto," President Osiris said.

All the Rangers were shocked into silence.

"I don't expect you to decide right away. I will have someone set you up with a room for the night, and you can tell me your decision in the morning," President Osiris said.

"Wait," Taz interjected. "What if we don't want to join jour group?"

"Taz," Amazon said warily.

"I am just keeping our options open," Taz said stubbornly.

President Osiris laughed, "I understand. If you choose to decline our offer, you will be forced to leave this planet immediately. What you do afterwards is your decision." The Rangers all exchanged skeptical glances. "You can go now. Tallulah will set you up with a room." President Osiris waived her hand, signaling for their exit.

They were no longer accompanied by guards, only a petite, exotic looking girl named Tallulah.

On the walk to the Ranger's room, Tallulah told them all a little bit about the Respinto.

"President Osiris founded the Respinto, after she broke away from the Galactic League. She lived on her own here, slowly recruiting others like her, which brings us to now," Tallulah informed them. "The Respinto consists of approximately 5,000 full-time officers, and only 3,000 spend their time here at home base. The other 2,000 are secret ops, part times and special services. Those people we only use on a when-needed basis."

Tallulah stopped in front of a steel door that looked identical to the one of the holding cell, yet less threatening.

Tallulah punched a code into the keypad on the wall next to the door, opening up the room. She held her arm out, signaling for the group to enter.

The room was large, but was separated into multiple smaller rooms. "Food will be brought soon. Clothes can be found in the wardrobes. If you need anything, do feel free to ask." Tallulah gave a small bow before turning to leave, the door closing tightly behind her. Taz had a suspicion that it was locked, but didn't want to check.

Everyone dispersed to the room of their choosing, too tired for anything else.

Up kissed Taz's forehead before he, too, left for sleep.

Taz stumbled into what she guessed would be her room. She threw off the old clothes she had been previously wearing, and turned to the wardrobe. There was little variation in the clothing, and everything was three sizes too large. Taz picked out a pair of black sweatpants and a grey shirt and threw them on. The clothes were barely clinging onto Taz's petite frame.

Taz turned and looked at the bed: it was small, and a lot less fluffy than the bed she had when she had been a Lieutenant at the G.L.E.E., but right then to Taz, it looked like heaven. Taz ran over to it and flew face down on the mattress.

That was the fastest Taz remembered ever falling asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I really don't have much to say right now, other than I'm missing the warm weather here in Chi Town. Brrrr.**

**Kateword**


	23. Decisiones

Up turned over in his bed. The bed was comfortable, sure. But Up had too much on his mind for sleep.

He couldn't keep the offer off of his mind. He didn't know what to choose. On one hand, the Respinto did sound nice. But would they be better than the Galactic League?

Of course they would be, Up thought bitterly. They won't stick me in a jail cell the second I don't mindlessly follow them.

Up sat up and stretched his arms. No use in laying around in bed for no reason.

Up through off his shirt, which had accumulated a fine layer of sweat, and ventured out into the main room. The lights were off, so Up groped around until he found the lamp. He nearly knocked it off the table, but luckily he caught it before it went crashing down to the floor.

Up pulled down on the string, and a dim light bathed the room. Up nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Taz standing at the fridge.

"Taz!" Up hissed. "Why're you up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Taz said simply. She pulled out a carton of milk and took a big gulp from it. "Jou?"

"Same." Up walked over to the fridge to join Taz.

Taz held out the carton for Up, but he shook his head. "Thinking about the Respinto?" Up asked.

"How could I not be?" Taz threw her arms up in the air. "I just don't know what to think! They share the same problem as us. They offer something that the Galactic League doesn't. But I don't know."

Up jumped up and sat down on the counter. "I know, I know. It sounds great to me, too. But we gotta consider all our options."

Taz put the milk back in the fridge. "Pros and cons," Taz suggested.

"Okay," Up said. "Pro: We'd have a lot more support with a group to support us."

"Con: It'd be another group to slap us in the face," Taz said sourly.

Up glared at her. "Taz."

"What?" Taz snapped.

"See, this is your problem. You can't just blindly trust," Up said. "But sometimes, you just gotta jump, Taz."

Taz crossed her arms stubbornly. "But if I jump, I will fall."

"Have faith, Taz." Up said.

Taz looked around uncomfortably. Up reached his arms out and circled them around Taz. She let out a yelp as Up pulled her onto his lap. "C'mon Taz. You know that we won't last 10 minutes out in the galaxy on our own, what with all the security the Galactic League probably has out." Up rested his chin on Taz's shoulder.

"Jou sure about this?" Taz asked.

"No," Up said bluntly. "But the universe has been good to us so far. Why would it stop now?" Taz elbowed Up in the ribs. "I'm serious, Tazzie."

"What does your gut tell jou?" Taz asked.

"It says that we need the change of pace."

Taz leaned her head against Up's. "Well, I suppose if jou think it's a good idea…" Up silenced her with a kiss on the cheek.

"My word ain't final. We'll talk it over with the others in the morning," Up said.

"Okay." Taz fell limp against Up, settling into his warmth. He gently rocked her back and forth in his arms, lulling her to sleep.

"G'night, Taz," Up whispered.

Up swaddled Taz in his arms and carefully carried her back to her bed. He gently placed her on the mattress, pulling the blankets up to her chin. Up brushed the hair out of her eyes, and kissed her forehead. "Love you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know it's a little late to be mentioning this, but "Respinto" means "rejected" in Italian. I felt all happy that I put so much effort into the name. I spent like, 20 minutes searching for significant words in foreign words on Google Translate. And lo and behold, the Respinto were named.**

**You know what's a funny word? Ergo. I've just heard it used a lot recently, and can't help but chuckle every time I hear it. Ergo…**

**Kateword**


	24. La Familia

After much time discussing, the Rangers finally came to a conclusion; the offer may be the best thing for them.

Amazon and Krayonder tried their hand at cooking breakfast, while everyone went to shower. They each had their own shower in their rooms, so there was no holdup for who would shower first.

Taz removed her old, dirty clothes and stepped into the warm shower. Taz was shocked at the water pressure here. It was much greater than at X702. She lathered on the soap, scrubbing herself raw.

Taz stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and clean. She toweled herself off and slipped on a fresh pair of black pants and a white tank top and walked back out to the main room. Amazon was at the stove, and Krayonder was busy putting some bacon on the table. Taz's mouth practically watered at the sight of it.

"I haven't had no breakfast like this since I was back on Farm Planet!" Tootsie hollered.

Taz couldn't help but smile as she sat down at the table. February plopped down in the chair next to her. February let out a little squeal. "I never thought I'd get to eat _actual food _again!"

"Me too," Taz admitted. She took a big drink of the orange juice in front of her.

Taz looked up when Up sat down across from her. He gave her a small grin, which she returned.

February elbowed Taz in the rib. "What?" Taz asked.

"Nothing," February said causally.

Taz turned her attention to the plate of food that had been set before her. She gobbled it down like it was nothing.

Everyone ate in silence; they were too preoccupied with the food before them.

After breakfast, Taz walked over to the couch and laid down over the arm. Up sat down next to her.

"I haven't eaten that much since before we left for Bug World," Up said.

"Me too," Taz said. "Does jour stomach hurt as much as mine does?" she laughed. Up responded with a chuckle.

"When did Tallulah say she was gonna get us?" Amazon asked from near the sink.

"I don't think she specified," Specs said.

Amazon groaned. "I don't like being stuck here like this."

"You just want to get back to your friend _President Osiris_," February teased.

Amazon shook her head and said, "She's not my friend."

"But wait," Taz said. "Jou've mentioned the name Osiris before."

Amazon opened her mouth to say something, but closed it.

"Who is she?" February pried.

"She was my roommate at X702—before I got Taz," Amazon said.

"Didn't jou say that she broke out?" Taz asked.

"Yep," Amazon said, popping the p. "I wasn't sure if she got out, but now I guess she did."

So that's where I heard that name, Taz thought.

Amazon finished washing all the dishes, with the help of Krayonder. "I'm gonna go shower," she said.

Taz waited for Amazon's door to close before getting up off the couch arm. She walked over to Amazon's door and knocked. "Come in," she called out. Taz opened the door and slipped in. "Oh, hi." Amazon pulled a small stack of clothes out of the closet.

"Hola." Taz sat down on the unmade bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Amazon said.

"No, tell me. Jou've been—um, what's the word, distant?—ever since we landed here," Taz said.

"I dunno. Nothing's wrong, I guess. It's just, I kindof thought that me and Osiris were closer than that, you know? But now, it's like, I dunno," Amazon said.

"Amazon, I think jou are overreacting. I mean, a lot of time has passed since jou last saw each other. And Osiris is in a tough position, leading a group of los rebeldes. So I don't blame her for not squealing like some pig when she saw her old roommate from prison," Taz said.

Amazon sighed. "Taz, why must you be so wise?"

Taz laughed. "Me: wise? Ha. I just know the right things to say." Amazon let out a cackle-laugh. Taz's ears perked up when she heard someone open the front door. "I think that Tallulah is here. We should probably go."

Amazon sighed. "I didn't even get to shower," she said.

"It's okay." Taz patted Amazon on the back. "You smell fine," Taz joked, and Amazon laughed.

"Okay, okay." Amazon opened the door, and the two girls stepped out. Tallulah was standing by the door, pouring over something on her tablet. She turned her eyes up when Taz and Amazon entered.

"Oh, good, you're here. C'mon," Tallulah said in a perky voice.

Tallulah ushered everyone out the door before taking lead. She led them through a series of underground hallways back up to President Osiris's office.

Tallulah got them right into President Osiris's office and directed them to their seats.

President Osiris got right down to business. "Now, have you considered you options?"

Everyone looked to Up, so he spoke. He sighed. "Yep. We've decided to take you up on your offer."

President Osiris and Tallulah smiled. "That's great!" Tallulah said, earning her a look from President Osiris that said 'be quiet'.

"Splendid. Now we're going to set each of you up with a personal councilor to fill you in on how things work here at home base. Unfortunately, we won't be able to assign you to any missions until we can properly assess you, but that shouldn't take more than a couple weeks," President Osiris informed them.

Taz felt like scowling. She didn't like starting at the bottom. She missed her lieutenant status. She missed being able to boss around the little Ensigns.

"Tallulah," President Osiris said. "Give each of the new recruits a councilor." She handed Tallulah a clip board. "Here's a list of acceptable candidates. I trust your judgment."

"Will do," Tallulah said.

"That's all. Your councilors will set you up with more permanent rooms and give you a little bit of structure in your day," President Osiris said with a smile.

Tallulah ushered them out of the office. She led them away to an empty conference room. "Um, just sit and wait," Tallulah said.

Everyone sat around waiting for Tallulah to finish reviewing the list.

"Alright, I think I've got it," Tallulah said. "Amazon, your councilor is Vox. Specs, you'll be with Roman, Krayonder with Serena, Bug with Silas, February with Krebs, Up with Rem and Taz with Nitro. You can wait in your room and I'll send them for you."

Tallulah sent them back to their room and left them to wait.

"So how do you like being a 'new recruit'?" Up asked.

Taz scoffed. "Don't remind me."

Up sat down next to her. "Be open minded. It may not be as bad as you think."

"Don't sugarcoat it," Taz said. "It is going to be awful! Karma will come back to bite me in the ass for all those Ensigns I harassed!" Up hit Taz playfully on the shoulder.

"You'll be fine. You've got big, burly Up her to take care of you," Up said in a deeper voice than his own.

"Callate," Taz laughed. Up gave her a dazzling smile.

Taz looked around the room at all her friends—her family—that surrounded her. Maybe starting at the bottom won't be so bad this time around, Taz thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cheesy end. Blaah. But I'm excited! Me and ma sis got the Degrassi season 10 box set on DVD and I've had myself a little Degrassi weekend xD**

**Sorry for the odd posting times. I usually write at like, 3 AM so then I finish late, and then I post late. So sorray.**

**Past the 30,000 word mark! Wahoo!**

**Reviews please!**

**Kateword**


	25. Nueva

"Hiya," Tallulah said in a sing-songy voice. "I brought councilors!" Taz stood up and gathered with the rest of the new recruits in the center of the room. Tallulah joined them, accompanied by 7 unknown people. "Introduction time! Specs, this is Roman." Tallulah shoved a tall, lanky, dark skinned man at Specs. "Krayonder, this is Serena. Amazon, Vox." Tallulah pushed each councilor at the appropriate person. "Bug, Silas. February, this is Krebs. Up, Rem. And Taz, this is Nitro."

Taz carefully studied Nitro. He was almost a full head taller than Taz, and had a great build. His skin was tanned, which contrasted greatly to his blue eyes. His brown hair spiked in every possible direction. He looked down at Taz with almost a humored expression.

"What?" Taz snapped. She didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"Nothing," Nitro said loftily. "I just didn't think I would get a little girl to mentor." All the new recruits fell silent. Taz glowered at him. "Is the little Taz—it's Taz, right?—speechless? Don't worry, you wouldn't be the first girl," he said arrogantly.

Taz kicked him in the legs, making him stagger. She punched him, then kicked him again to get him down on the ground. She locked his arms behind his back and held him in a tight grip, to which Nitro squirmed in protest.

"What were you saying about being a little girl?" Taz hissed into his ear.

"Taz! This is no way to treat your councilor!" Tallulah cried. "Let him go!"

Taz did no such thing.

"Taz, do what Tallulah says." Up gently touched Taz on the shoulder.

She scowled at Up, but listened. She released her hold on Nitro and stood up. She made sure to stay right by Up's side.

Taz figured that she shouldn't have started a fight with her councilor on the first day, but she couldn't let that smug little bastard treat her like a 'little girl,' as he put it.

"Your councilors will take it from here," Tallulah said with a smile. "Tootles!" She turned on her heels and walked out the door.

"Be nice," Up said to Taz.

"I will!" Taz said.

"Really?" Up pestered.

"Yes! Jou trust me, don't jou?"

"I suppose," Up smirked.

"Let's go, Taz!" Nitro called out. "I don't have all day to wait for you!"

Taz scowled. "Wish me luck." Up patted her shoulder.

Taz reluctantly followed Nitro out the door. They walked to Taz's new room in silence.

"Here you are, doll face." Nitro handed Taz yet another set of dog tags. This one just said Taz on it. Taz held it tight in her palm; she would put it on her necklace with the rest of her dog tags later. "Program in your lock code."

Taz took a moment to decide. She needed a number that had at least some meaning to her, otherwise she would forget it. Why not, Taz thought. She chose her ID number from X702. _60205_, Taz punched in. It was tattooed onto her forearm; there was no way she could forget it.

Taz opened the door and she and Nitro stepped inside.

It was a small room, with stone walls, the same as every other room at the home base. There was a twin bed, a couch, a closet no doubt stocked with more clothes for Taz to drown in, a bathroom and a miniature kitchen, with a small fridge, small stove, small sink, small table and small cupboards. It wasn't much, but it was all you needed. Something Taz had gathered about the Respinto: they didn't waste any money or efforts on luxury.

"Pop a squat, pumpkin." Nitro flopped down onto the couch, making himself at home. Taz sat down on the couch cautiously. "Hmm, where to begin," Nitro said while rummaging through an envelope. He appeared to make a decision on what to start with. He handed her a decently thick packet. "Rules: learn 'em, live 'em, love 'em. Prez Osiris doesn't tolerate any messing around, so don't break any of them—at least, don't let her catch you breaking them." Nitro smirked. "Basic rules are this: don't be anywhere you aren't supposed to be; don't disobey a direct order; don't wander the planet on your own; respect authority; obey curfew. Other than that, they're pretty much common sense stuff; don't hurt other Respinto, don't steal, stuff like that. You get two warnings for misconducts; thirds an expulsion.

"Here's your schedule." Nitro passed Taz a time table. "For the first month or so, you'll be learning the ropes here, which means no missions. But once you get into the swing of assignments and shit, your schedule won' madder much anymore. Schedules are just to keep the newbies out of trouble."

Taz scowled.

"Tazzie dear, as your councilor, I should advise you: keep your temper in line." Nitro rested a hand on Taz's shoulder, which she was quick to shove off. "One, you getting the bootskie for bad behavior reflects poorly on moi. And two, you seem like one tough son of a bitch. I'd hate to see the Respinto loose such a good soldier."

Nitro ruffled Taz's hair and stood up. "Later, babe. I'll check up on you in the morn." And with that, Nitro exited the room.

Taz felt like throwing something after him, but resisted the urge. Despite how arrogantly-put it was, Nitro did bring up a good point. Taz had to watch what she did here. This wouldn't be like the Galactic League, where they would just stick her on a loosely-enforced house arrest until she blew off some steam. The Respinto didn't count on her to be a leader. To them, Taz was just another one of the new recruits.

Taz punched the air. She really hated being a 'newbie.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm shocked how long this story's getting along. One: this is the most chapters I've ever had in a story. Two: it's nearing to be the longest word count I've ever done. And the story's still young! Wowsers. I'm actually pretty psyched that I've committed to a longer story. That was my New Year's resolution: Write another FanFiction. It's a little late in the coming, but it did happen! Andd now I'm rambling. Sowwy.**

**Review!**

**Kateword**


	26. Nueva Casa

Up lay face-up on his new bed, killing time. His new room was nothing more than a little box, complete with the necessities. It was small, yet functional. It wasn't like Up would be spending a whole lot of time in his room anyway. He planned on only using the new room for sleep.

Up couldn't wait to get started. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he too couldn't stand starting fresh either. He felt a pang of emptiness knowing that he was no longer CommanderUp. He would probably never get a high title like that again. It had taken him almost 15 years to get up to Commander, and Up didn't really have that kind of time left. Up hated to admit it, but he was getting old; granted, old meant 30. But if it took him another 15 years, that'd put him at 45. 45 year olds didn't get sent out on missions. They were stuck in offices, running politics and finances; not heading missions to unknown planets.

Up thought of Taz. He hoped that she was handling everything well. He had doubts after seeing how her councilor Nitro treated her, but he couldn't be sure.

Up heard a knock at his door. The screen on the wall showed his new councilor, Rem, waiting at the door. "C'mon in."

Rem stepped inside. "You've got a training seminar in ten minutes," he informed Up. "We better get going."

Up stood up and stretched briefly before following Rem.

Up wasn't sure where he stood on Rem yet. Rem didn't seem to have much of a personality, which wasn't too appealing to Up. But then again, that was him before he met Taz.

Which lead Up to believe that Rem just hadn't found his Taz yet.

Rem didn't look to be popular among the other Respinto, but that may have been from lack of effort on his part.

Up made feeble attempts of conversation with Rem, but they didn't really take off. Rem had a real good way of manipulating a conversation to a close.

"I'll meet you afterwards," Rem said before leaving Up at the door.

Up walked inside. The room was lined with chairs, and had a large mat in the center. The other Rangers were already waiting inside, along with two other new recruits. Up took his seat next to Taz.

"How is jour councilor?" Taz asked.

"He sure ain't friendly, I can tell you that." Up chuckled.

"Lucky jou. Nitro is a little too friendly. Probably fresh off planet Earth," Taz said bitterly.

Up just laughed. "You'll live, Taz." Up looked across the room at the other two newbies. One girl, and one boy. The appeared to know each other; they were carrying a conversation. The girl was dark as chocolate, with short, straight hair of equal darkness. The boy was pale in contrast. He had curly strawberry blonde hair that fell over his blue eyes. He had permanent laugh lines on his face.

"Who're they?" Up gestured to the boy and girl.

"Other newbies," Taz said. "Jubilee and Cal, I think their names are."

"Hmmm," Up said. He didn't recognize them from the Galactic League, but they looked too young to be in it anyways. They could've been from Earth, or from a colonized planet.

"Attention!" the instructor called out. "My name is Mona, and I will be leading you for the next month until your official initiation into the Respinto.

"Now we aren't going to be doing much for the first few lessons. We'll mostly just be going over rules, regulations, the like. Now stand up, new recruits. I'll be taking you on a tour of the home base."

Everyone stood, preparing to follow Mona.

"Les'go, newbies!" Mona beckoned to them.

Up followed Mona out the door. He was very anxious to see his new home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Lame ass chapter. But I've lost my voice, so I don't really feel like writing much. Fingers crossed I get my voice back.**

**Kateword**


	27. Mi Novio

"Down this hall is all of the superior offices." Mona gestured her hand down a dark looking hall. Then again, all the hallways at the Respinto were poorly lit.

"But let's get onto some rooms that you'll be visiting on a daily basis." Mona led the group up some flights of stairs to a large room filled with tables. "This, if you haven't figured it out already, is the cafeteria. And unless you're sick or on a mission, this is where you'll be eating every meal, every day."

Taz groaned. The tour of the building was beginning to drag on and on and on. Taz was appreciative of Mona taking the time to show everyone around, but Taz would much rather have wandered around for an hour to figure out everything for herself.

Taz hung back in an empty hallway. She knew that she would get in some sort of trouble for straying from the group, but she didn't really care. She needed time away from everyone.

Taz sat down on a table and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Taz?" February called out. Taz didn't say anything. She hoped that February would go away if she didn't say anything. "Tazzie, I know you're in there!"

Taz groaned. She really needed to put her foot down on who called her Tazzie.

"Taz." February rounded the corner. "C'mon, girlie."

Taz glared at her. "I just need some time to think."

"'Bout what?" February took a seat next to Taz on the table.

Taz put things in simple terms for February to understand. "Change."

"I see," February said. "Do you think the change is good or bad?"

"What do jou think?" Taz deflected the question.

"I think it's good. I mean, nobody thought that much of me back at the Galactic League anyway. But here, I've got a fresh start, you know? Here, they don't care that I finished last in my class. They only care that I'm here, now, and willing to help them."

Taz saw February's point. "I see."

"Now you answer the question," February insisted.

"No se. On one hand, I miss the Galactic League. I was powerful there. Here I am nothing," Taz scoffed.

"And on the other hand?" February asked.

"It is something new. Now that the Galactic League doesn't want us anymore, we can have a new home," Taz said.

"That's nice," February said. She gave Taz a one-armed hug, to which Taz reluctantly accepted. "Now let's get back to the group."

"Okay." Taz stood and offered her hand for February. "Les'go."

Taz and February rejoined the group before Mona had noticed their absence. She was too busy showing the others around.

"Let's take you to the training facilities," Mona said.

Up grabbed onto Taz's hand. "Where'd you go?" he asked in a whisper.

"Nowhere," Taz said. Up gave her a questioning look. "I was just thinking."

"About anything important?" Up asked.

"No."

Up accepted the answer. He continued to hold Taz's hand as they took the tour.

An hour later, Mona concluded the tour. Taz had never been more grateful for something to end.

"I will see you all tomorrow where we will begin some actual training!" Mona bid them all farewell.

Taz checked her schedule which was written on her arm in black ink; she didn't want to be bothered with carrying a paper around.

"Now where're you off to?" Up came up behind Taz and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"According to my arm, I have a free hour," Taz said.

"Great," Up said. "Care to come exploring with me?"

"Sure," Taz said with a smile.

Up pulled Taz down the hallway.

It felt good for Taz to run again. Running was something that she had taken for granted before X702. Now, running was a blessing that Taz was going to take full advantage of.

"Beat ya there," Up said slyly before sprinting ahead. Taz accepted the challenge.

Taz ran ahead, attempting to catch up with Up. She laughed at how much fun she was having. She never thought that running would give her such a thrill.

Taz skidded to a stop after Up stopped running. "Follow me."

"I thought that's what I was already doing," Taz muttered sarcastically.

Up pushed open a door and stepped inside, Taz right on his heels.

"Where're jou taking me?" Taz demanded.

"I dunno, wherever I feel like, I guess," Up said.

"Just don't get us lost."

Up laughed. "I don't get _lost_."

Taz followed hesitantly. Up opened one last door before he stopped walking.

Taz stepped inside and looked around. The room was filled with keys, much to her surprise. "What the—? "

"Now ain't this odd," Up said.

"Did jou take me here on purpose?" Taz asked.

"Nah, I just have a knack for finding cool places," Up said.

Taz walked around the room, fingering each key as she went by. "Why do they have this room? I mean, nobody uses keys anymore."

"That's probably why they have it. I mean, you gotta put your old stuff somewhere." Up disappeared behind a large group of hanging keys.

Taz approached a small poster on the wall. **KEYS: DO NOT REMOVE FROM ROOM WITHOUT PRESIDENT OSIRIS'S PERMISSION. NEXT KEY MELTING: SEPTEMBER 5****TH****.**

"What is a 'key melting?'" Taz asked.

"I dunno. These keys're probably just waiting to be turned into scrap metal, or sumthn'," Up said from somewhere Taz couldn't see.

"Shame," Taz said. "This room really is muy bonita."

"Sure is," Up said.

Taz pulled a key down from the wall. It was small, and had multiple little curls swirling around on the inside of the head. She knew that the sign said not to, but she figured that they wouldn't miss one little key. Taz slipped it into her pocket. She thought that one day she might find whatever that key opened one day.

Up snuck up behind Taz and grabbed onto her hand. "Now you aren't breaking the rules, are you?" he asked humorously.

"Of course not," Taz said with mock hurt. "When have I ever defied authority?"

Taz couldn't resist from standing on her toes to kiss Up. She hadn't really been alone with him since the breakout, so she couldn't properly kiss him without somebody interrupting.

Up chose to deepen the kiss, much to Taz's pleasure. She held tight to the back of his neck so that she could reach his lips. Up soon had his hands around her waist, picking her up off the ground. Taz really missed kissing Up.

They started to sway slowly on the spot. Taz was loving every minute of bliss that she had with Up.

Up pulled back a centimeter and looked down at her eyes. Taz tried to kiss him again in protest, but he stopped her. "Por que?" she huffed, out of breath.

"What does this make us?" Up asked.

"Huh?" Taz asked.

"Well, we love, um—being together. And we love each other. So then, what does that make us?" Up asked. "'Cause we sure as hell aren't 'just friends.'"

Taz pondered the question. "What do jou want us to be?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping you could be my _girlfriend_?" Up asked hopefully.

Taz's stomach did flip-flops. "Well then why don't jou just man up and ask me already?" she said playfully.

"Alright then," Up said with a smile. "Taz Ordoñez, would you do the honors in being my girlfriend?"

"Of course." Taz grinned from ear to ear. She bent over and continued to smother Up in kisses.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Apologies for the timing. I was overloaded this week, so it was tough to fit in writing time, and then I tried to publish it yesterday but FanFiction wouldn't let me long into my account. Oh well. I hope this chapter was pleasing to you.**

**HOLY MUSICAL BTMAN! I haven't seen the premiere of a Starkid musical since the Sequel came out…ik, that was SO long ago! So I'm super psyched! And the tour! OMG! I'm so going! I OK'd it with le Mumsie, so now all that's needed is the tickets!**

**Kateword**


	28. Nostálgico

Taz didn't like her new room much at all. She didn't feel secure in it. She tossed and turned in he bed, unable to fall asleep. The bed felt stiff and unused. Taz needed soft, comfortable and familiar. She sat up in bed and walked over to the touchscreen on her wall. She unlocked the screen and navigated around to the caller. Taz dialed in Up's roomnumber and waited anxiously for him to pick up. She felt immense relief when Up's face came on the screen. He looked almost as tired as Taz felt.

"Whutdya want, Taz?" Up asked grogily.

"I can't sleep," Taz said meekly.

Up gave her a sleepy smile. "I'm on my way down," he yawned.

Taz smiled.

She went over to her kitchen to find some food while she waited. The kitchen was surprisingly high tech, even more high tech than her one back at the Galactic League. She opened the fridge and found a small variety of beverages. There wasn't anything appetizing there, so she just went back to her messy bed and sprawled out on it.

Taz's ears perked up when she heard a knock at the door. She walked over and unlocked it for Up.

Up looked very sleepy. Taz worried that she had woken him up.

Up put his arms around Taz's shoulders in a welcoming embrace. "Whut's wrong, Tazzie?"

"It's this new room! I hate it! Es muy malo," Taz cried.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Up reassured her.

"Not soon enough," Taz huffed.

Up laughed. "I'll keep ya company until you like your room better."

Taz played down her excitement. She didn't want to seem too eager.

Up walked over to her bed and sat down, leaning his back against the headboard. He patted the spot next to him. Taz walked over and cuddled up next to him. She instantly felt more comfortable.

Up wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on top of hers.

"Here. I've got an idea on what'll make you feel a little more at home," Up said. He reached over to the side table and grabbed the remote for the feed screen. He turned it on and pushed a few buttons before arriving on what he was looking for. It was the Karate Kid. "Just like back at the Galactic League," Up said.

Taz smiled. Up always knew just what to do to make her feel better.

Barely 30 minutes into the film, Up lay snoring beside Taz. She was on the verge of sleep herself.

She flipped the screen off with the remote and settled down next to Up. Taz tucked her head into the crook of his neck and cuddled close. "Buenos noches," Taz breathed before falling asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: APOCALYPTOUR Tickets: Purchased! Ya******************************!****


	29. Más Tarde

Up squinted his eyes open, still feeling the sleep in them. He squinted around the room, realizing quickly that it wasn't his own room. He then heard the sigh beside him. He turned to face the noise; it was Taz. She had her back pressed against Up's side, and his arm was draped across her waist. Her hair flew out in all directions, and some of it tickled Up's face. Up didn't want to get up, so as to disturb Taz, so he chose to lie with her for a while.

He passed the time by studying Taz's appearance. He usually didn't pay much attention to the finer details of Taz's features, mostly because he didn't want her to catch him staring; that would bring on a very unnecessary and slightly awkward excuse for why he was looking at her for a long period of time. But since she was sleeping, he had nothing stopping him.

Up reached over and fingered one of Taz's newly-defined curls. This was the longest that Up had ever seen Taz's hair. Usually she would cut it before it ever made it past her shoulder.

Taz must've felt the movement, because she began to stir. She stretched her arms out and yawned awake. She turned her head to face Up's. "Buenos días," Taz said sleepily.

"Good morning to you too," Up said cheerily.

Taz kissed him on the cheek and said, "How long have jou been awake?"

Up shrugged. "I dunno, a while I guess."

Taz looked beyond Up to the clock that was projected on the wall. "Shit!" Taz jumped up out of the bed and ran over to the wardrobe.

"What?" Up asked worriedly.

"Look at the time!" she cried.

Up turned to see the clock. 8:40; they were going to be late for their training session.

"Bye," Up called out before rushing back up to his room. Once he arrived, he threw on the training uniform and went down to the training hall. He arrived with no time to spare. Taz arrived moments later.

Mona began the lesson right away. Today they were going over procedures for missions. It was a lot of standing while Mona read off instruction after instruction. She would sometimes pause to make sure that everyone was up to speed, but it wasn't long before she would be back to rambling.

Mona dismissed the class for the day and shooed everyone out the door.

Up next on Up's schedule was gym time, as was it on Taz's schedule. They walked to the gym together.

Taz grabbed Up's hand and stopped him from walking.

"What?" he began to say before being silenced by Taz's mouth. She kissed him with a passion that hadn't been there since the first time they kissed. Up didn't know what brought on this passion, but he didn't care. He planned on enjoying every minute of it. Up slowly began to back Taz into the wall, moving his lips roughly against hers. Taz gripped his hair tightly and stood up on her tiptoes to shorten the gap between her lips and Up's. Up moved his lips down to Taz's neck, causing Taz to shiver.

Up stopped kissing Taz and rested his forehead against hers. Both of their breathing was tagged. "What was that all about?"

"I just really needed to do that," Taz admitted. "Why? Did jou not like it?"

"No, no of course I did!" Up protested. Taz just smiled.

"What were we supposed to be doing?" Taz joked.

"I think we were supposed to be training," Up said with a laugh.

"I suppose we've got to do that one," Taz said. "Vamos."

Up kissed Taz's mouth one more time before stepping back from the wall. Up grabbed her hand and led her back in track to the training facility.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the filler. But I'll (hopefully) be done with it in no time.****  
><strong>

**Heads up for the next chapter: there'll probably be some kind of time gap between this one and the next because I want to get to the action.**

**Kateword**


	30. Otra Casa

1 month later, and Taz had finally gotten into the swing of things at the Respinto. She had recently traded in her old Respinto dog tag and gotten one with her proper ranking on it. Granted, that ranking was literally the bottom of the totem poll, but at least Taz was no longer considered a 'trainee.'

Taz and the others, plus Cal and Jubilee, were all gearing up for their fist mission. They were being sent to a planet that was a mere 2 miles from a big Galactic League base. They were supposed to scout out the area, for some reason unknown to them. President Osiris said that the purpose would be revealed to them 'in due time.'

Taz had been in Nitro's office for the past 12 hours for some last minute training, though all the exercises had become repetitive.

"Can't be done with these estupido exercises?" Taz asked Nitro. He wasn't even paying any attention to her performance anymore.

Nitro waived his hand. "Yeah, yeah, sure thing girlie." Taz scowled. "Actually, I've got something that I'm supposed to give you." Nitro reached into a cabinet and pulled out a stack of cloth. "Suit up, Tazzie," he said while tossing the uniform in her direction.

Taz changed quickly in the bathroom. She studied her reflection in the mirror.

Her new uniform was much simpler and more practical than her formal uniform at the Galactic League. This one was made purely for function rather than looks. It was a stretchy jumpsuit made of a light, cotton-y fabric. The grey color was made to blend with most planetary surroundings. Taz found that she liked this uniform better than her one back at the Galactic League—at least, so far she did. Taz slipped on the cloth slippers she had been given a part of her uniform. The fabric felt tough in Taz's hands, so she had little doubt that they could stand up to the harsh grounds out there.

Thankfully, this uniform actually fit Taz without any alterations. Taz slipped her dog tag necklace back around her neck and pulled her back in a tight pony tail.

She unlocked the bathroom and stepped out. Nitro whistled. "You, my dear, look _hot_." Taz threw her old combat boot at his head. Nitro caught it before it could hit him. "Feel free to drop me a line if things with Up don't work out."

Taz glared daggers at Nitro for even suggesting that she and Up wouldn't make it.

"I'm kidding," said Nitro. "Now c'mon. You've got orientation on your new ship."

Nitro held the door open for Taz to step out first.

Taz had made sure to learn her way around the Respinto HQ, so she didn't need any help in finding the loading docks.

Jubilee, Cal, Megagirl and February were all there, each accompanied by their respective councilors.

Taz sat around on a crate of supplies that was left to be loaded, waiting for the doors to the new Starship—or whatever they were called here at the Respinto—to open. Nitro sat beside her and tried to make conversation, but Taz didn't help the conversation along much.

Up and Rem were the last to arrive, which prompted the orientation to begin.

"We're going to separate into three groups: piloting, the ground team and tech," Jubilee's councilor, Cleo said. "Piloting will follow Commander Dexter, combat will follow Officer Skye, and tech will follow Officer Smithe."

Specs and Cal followed Officer Smithe, Jubilee and Amazon followed Commander Dexter, leaving the rest to go with Officer Skye.

Officer Skye was overly-hyper, in Taz's opinion, but it wasn't especially bothersome.

Taz hung towards the back of the group with Up by her side, which made the the tour pretty quick and painless.

"This ship is on the smaller end," Officer Skye said. "The basement is all storage; anything you could possibly need is down there."

Officer Skye quickly led the group through the storage hall, which was filled ceiling-high with shelves and shelves of food, camping gear, mechanical parts and uniforms. Skye ushered them out and upstairs to the second floor of the spacecraft.

"This is the main floor of the craft, and where you'll be spending most of your time," Skye said. "Through that door is the kitchen and mess hall." She held the door open for everyone to look inside. "I'll let you explore it later. And this," she opened another door, "is the rec room. Any down time will be spent here. You can explore here on your own too."

Officer Skye took them up the next set of stairs to the third floor. "Here, you can find the pilot's quarters and cabins. I don't need to show you the pilot's quarters; I'll let you explore there on your own time. The cabin's are down these two halls, and you all can steak claims on your rooms tomorrow when you board the ship for real."

Taz looked down one of the two halls. The cabins didn't look to be too large, based on the space in between the doors.

"Come, come," Skye said perkily. "Let's go to the fourth floor."

Officer Skye ushered the group up the final set of stairs.

"This floor's got a couple prison cells for any captured souls, or whatever, and the feeds room," Skye said. "In the feeds room is your link to the outside world. It's the only room—outside of the pilot's quarters, that is—that gets the feeds. Here's where you get news from HQ, yata yata."

Taz did a quick scan of the feeds room. It was basic, with only a few tables and chairs, each equipped with its own small feeds board. One large feeds board hung on the far wall. There wasn't much else to look at.

"So that concludes our tour," Skye said. "You're free to leave."

Taz looked around the ship—the ship that would soon become her new home. It was small, yet homely.

Taz couldn't wait to get another home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the delayed posting…I'm a butt.**

**AAAAHHHHHAHAHAHAHA! Apocalyptour next Thursday!**

**Heyyy, guess what? I got a tumblr! I'm putting up my artwork…do be dears and check it out! Username: Kateword**

**If you haven't already, watch the 'Actual Cannibal Shia Labeouf video on youtube…lol**

**Kateword**


	31. La Despedida

The sendoff wasn't anything special. President Osiris was there, along with everyone's councilors and a few other people. Taz was perfectly fine with that.

Nitro was the only one to personally say goodbye to her.

"You know, I think I'm actually gonna miss you, runt," Nitro said.

"Jou are still my councilor, and I will be back. Jou can't get rid of me that easily, jou know," Taz said.

Nitro laughed. "I know, I know. But who am I going to be able to boss around for the next 6 months?"

Taz scowled. "Jou'll figure something out."

"I know." Before Taz had time to protest, Nitro pulled her into a quick hug. "Don't die, will ya? 'Cause if you do, I'm gonna be the one who has to plan your memorial service, which'll be a real pain in the ass for me."

Taz smiled sarcastically. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience jou, now would I?"

"That's my girl," he said. "Don't forget to message me every once in a while. Gotta keep up on how my little trainee's doing."

"Sure thing," Taz said.

Nitro patted her on the shoulder and said, "Hope to see you when you come back."

Taz nodded, and that finished their goodbyes. Nitro walked back to the rest of the people there to escort them off.

Taz grabbed her duffle bag which held everything that she would need to be bringing on their mission and walked up the gangway onto the space craft.

She walked up to the third floor to where the cabins were. Taz didn't put much thought into which room she wanted to claim as hers. She picked just picked one at the far end of one of the hallways.

There were no locks on the doors here, so there was nothing that Taz needed to program in. She got right into unloading her belongings. All the clothes went in the armoire, some personal mementos went on the bookshelf and everything else went under the bed.

Taz walked back out to the main room of the ship, where Krayonder and Specs were talking quietly.

Taz peered out one of the porthole windows, and saw that they had left the Respinto HQ without her knowing.

She checked the time; it was 4 in the morning. Why the Respinto sent them off at such an odd hour, Taz didn't know.

Taz settled into one of the longer couches and pulled one of the throw pillows under her head. She figured that she should get a little bit of sleep while everyone was busy elsewhere, plus she needed to break in the furniture.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep; she was only half-awake to begin with.

She listened to the soft hum of the engine, which lulled her to sleep in no time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ahhhh! Too many plot bunnies! It make things much too hard for me.**

**Short chapter, but I honestly couldn't think of shit right now. All I can think about is this one little scene between Taz and Up that I have worked out, but I can't include it in my story because it happens later! AGH! AUTHOR ANGST!**

**Did I mention how EXCITED I am for the APOCALYPTOUR? I'm bouncing off the walls in excitement! But I'm kinda upset that I'm not going opening night :( I guess you can't be choosey, though. Some poor souls don't get to go at all.**

**Kateword**


	32. Juntos

Taz sat up on the couch and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the backs of her hands. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but since she had the scenery around her had changed. Now Up, Bug and Cal sat around playing some sort of card game. Amazon was probably off piloting the ship. Tootsie was sprawled out on the opposite couch, and Jubilee was cuddled up in an armchair. Everyone else was probably off in their rooms.

Taz didn't remember falling asleep with a blanket on, but she had one on when she sat up. She wadded it up and threw it over the arm of the couch.

She stood up and cracked her back. She ran her fingers through her rapidly-growing hair and sat down on the bench next to Bug and half-paid attention to whatever it was they were playing.

After a few minutes of watching, Taz gave up on trying to keep up and left. She went upstairs to the feeds room to get a closer look at it.

Upstairs, Krayonder and Megagirl were both sitting around at their own feeds table. Taz peeked over Krayonder's shoulder at the screen; he had hacked into the Galactic League's feeds and as trying to piece together what had happened since they were last there.

He must've known that she was looking over him, because he turned around. "Dr. Space-Claw's created a dictatorship at the Galactic League. He's, like, gotten rid of out any government officials that weren't totally on his side and replaced them with his puppets. It's awful, man."

Taz sat down in the seat next to Krayonder, and he showed her some of the feeds sites that he had looked at earlier.

It was sickening to see how much Dr. Space-Claw had influenced the Galactic League.

After spending an hour looking at all the feeds that the Galactic League, Krayonder offered to make some lunch, which Taz said yes to.

They waived goodbye to Megagirl and went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Krayonder's making food," Taz called out to the others. She pushed herself up on the counter and sat around as the kitchen filled up with hungry passengers.

Krayonder handed Taz a plate mac n' cheese, which she happily accepted. She took her plate over to the table and took a seat in between Up and Cal.

Everyone was laughing and talking around the table, acting like one big happy family. Taz greatly enjoyed being with the group, it made her feel _normal _for once. On past missions, everyone would avoid her like the plague. But Taz liked to think that she had changed, and was more open to making friends.

After eating, Taz retired to the rec room along with everyone except Bug and February. Taz wasn't sure where they went (but she had a hunch as to what they were doing).

Taz did a quick scan of the bookshelf and grabbed a thick book with a pretty cover. She snuggled up on the couch with the large blanket thrown over her.

Up pushed her over a little bit on the couch so he could sit down next to her. She leaned her back up against the side of his arm.

Taz lost interest in her book quickly; teach her to pick a book just because of its cover. She laid down her book and reached for Up's hand under the blanket. It felt nice and reassuring.

Amazon walked into the room, dressed in a pilot's uniform. "We'll be arriving tomorrow morning, so sleep up."

Taz suddenly felt very anxious. All her training at the Respinto HQ had led up to this, and she didn't want to let them down.

She looked across the room at the clock. Somehow, it was already gotten to be almost midnight.

"I'll be the first to turn in." Taz stood up and threw down the blanket and book. She smiled at Up and waived at the others.

She closed her door and stripped out of her uniform and into a pair of flannel pants and a tank top. She cuddled up in her bed and fell asleep, thinking about what the new planet might be like.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OH MY ROWLING APOCALYPTOUR WAS JUST TOO AMAZING FOR WORDS! It was just so awesome!**

**Kateword**


	33. La Agua

Taz peered out the window of the space craft, anxiously waiting for Amazon to land. But landing was a slow process.

Their mission was classified as "undercover," which meant that they couldn't just land the craft any old way. They had to land in such a way that the Galactic League—which was visible with the naked eye from their location—didn't see them.

Taz tried to stand up, forgetting that she was strapped into the landing chairs; she was violently pulled back down to her seat. "I need to get out of here!" Taz yelled. She strained to stand up again, but was again pulled back down.

"Calm down," Up soothed. "It'll be just another 10 minutes, tops." Taz growled back at him." He tried to put a comforting hand on her arm, but she shoved him off.

Taz scratched at her cuticles out of nervousness.

She looked back out the window, and the space craft was approaching what looked to be a lake.

"Why are we landing here?" Taz asked.

Jubilee peeked out the window and turned green. "We can't do a water landing. We can't. We really really can't."

Amazon walked into the exit hall. "It looks like we're going to have to do a water landing."

"Por que?"

"It's the only place that mission control has cleared," said Amazon. "So we're going to have you guys parachute down, and I'll land it somewhere underwater. Just swim over to shore and I'll meet you guys there."

Jubilee looked like she was going to be sick.

"Buddy up, everyone," Amazon said. She pushed a button and released the safety harnesses.

Taz grabbed onto Up's hand and they both headed over to the exit portal. Amazon pounded open the door and a gust of wind blew through the cabin.

She peered out the door and down at the harsh waters below. It wasn't the highest fall that she'd ever had to jump, but she somehow felt even more nervous.

"Try and go straight down," Amazon yelled over the wind. "And if you feel a current, just swim with it!"

Taz steeled herself, not wanting to show any fear. First to jump were Tootsie and Megagirl. They didn't fall for more than a minute before Megagirl's lifters engaged, flying them both to shore. Megagirl couldn't get wet.

Taz decided to get jumping over with. She stood on the edge, with Up by her side.

"Jump!" Amazon yelled.

Taz leapt first, pulling Up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist so that they were pressed together as they fell. Taz plugged her nose and closed her eyes before she hit the water.

The water was icy cold, and the air was knocked out her lungs. They swirled around underwater, Taz couldn't tell up from down. She struggled towards what she thought was the surface.

Up's arms fell off of Taz as she kicked to the surface. Taz didn't feel any immediate worry. She broke to the top, gasping for air.

She looked around for Up, but he wasn't there. "Up!" she called before getting a mouthful of nasty water. "Up!" she called out again after sputtering out the water. Taz was starting to get scarred. What if, when he let go of her, it was because he hit his head on something and went unconscious? That meant that he would be drowning at the bottom of the lake somewhere. Taz wished that she would have held on to him tighter. "Up!" Taz called out a third time. Another wave crashed over her head, making her cough up more of the nasty water. "Up!"

Taz began to tread water around the general area, looking through the top to find Up. In the distance, she could see Bug and February, who had just made a large splash in.

Taz ducked under the surface and opened her eyes to find Up, but the water stung her eyes too much.

She surfaced again. "Up!"

Up's head broke surface 10 feet in front of Taz. He sputtered and wheezed for air. Taz couldn't have been more relieved. She used all her strength to swim against the waves over to Up.

Upon arriving at where Up was treading, Taz gripped onto the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss, to which he gladly returned. They broke apart when a large wave overtook them, sending them into a coughing fit.

"What was that for?" Up asked.

"Nothing," Taz said. She didn't want him to know how scared she had been.

"Well I'll take it," Up said, smiling.

They began to swim to shore, which proved to be more difficult than Taz had initially thought. The waves were going in the opposite direction, which made things difficult, plus she kept swallowing water which caused her body to violently hack it back up.

Taz saw a particularly large wave coming her way, and she braced herself, but it wasn't enough. The wave overtook Taz's small body with ease, sending her head-over-heels backwards. She surfaced, ready to grit her teeth and begin swimming again, when a wave crashed over her again.

This one sent her down, far below the surface. But she couldn't tell where the surface was; she couldn't tell the difference. Everything had a strange silverish tint to it, making it look as though it were the surface. Taz tried swimming in what direction she thought was the surface, but after kicking forward and forward, she realized that she couldn't have been moving towards the surface, so she turned the opposite direction and began to kick.

Taz felt the air in her lungs running out, and she wasn't even sure where the surface was.

Her lungs burned, and the air was knocked out of her when something hooked around her waist. Taz coughed out precious air into the water, causing her lungs to burn more. Taz felt extremely lightheaded when she broke to the surface.

"Taz! Are you okay?" She heard Up calling.

"I think," Taz said woozily.

"Don't scare me like that!" he cried. Up was supporting Taz above the waves, so that she didn't get pushed under again.

"Let's just get on land," Taz pleated.

"Great idea," Up said.

Up continued to hold Taz up, so that she wouldn't get swept away again.

Taz didn't remember much of the swim to shore, whether it be because she was oxygen deprived or had swallowed too much water.

Taz got laid down on the ground, and Up bent over on his knees to catch his breath.

"Where are the others?" Taz asked.

"I can see 'em down shore," Up heaved. "Climb on my back," he said.

Taz slung herself on Up's back, and he trudged his way over to the group.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm going on a ROAD TRIP! 10 hours in the car, and I hope to be writing for a lot of it! And on top of that, school gets out in a week! Life. Is. Good.**

**But on a sour note, my writing flash drive died. I've been using it faithfully for 2 years now, and it has kicked the bucket. RIP Gunthur.**

**Kateword**


	34. Llegada

Taz and February lay on the shoreline, with Taz's head on February's stomach, both exhausted from their swim to shore. Taz had been told by Bug that February's swim didn't go quite as—well, swimmingly—as hoped.

Taz's head bobbed up and down as February breathed, and it was strangely relaxing.

Everyone was sprawled out on the shoreline, waiting for Amazon to finish her swim from where she had landed the space craft. If Taz squinted, she could just make out Amazon's head on the horizon.

"Does _anybody _know what the game plan is?" Krayonder asked.

"I think Amazon might," Up said. "She was the last one to radio in to HQ."

Taz sat up and let her hair fall across her face for a moment and assessed its length. When she was at the Respinto, it didn't matter how long her hair got. But now that she was out in the field, the hair would have to go as soon as possible.

She braided it back behind her back and tied it together.

Taz didn't feel like standing much, but knew that it was inevitable.

Amazon washed up on the beach with a bunch of supply sacks in tow. She threw them down on the ground and laid down next to Cal.

"So what's the plan?" Specs asked.

"Well, we are supposed to be scouting the northern tip of the planet, 'cause it's got the best view of the Galactic League. Admiral Silver suggested we divide into teams, so that we could cover more ground. Silver also mentioned something about mountains, which might be problematic," Amazon said. "So what do you guys think?"

"I like the idea of teams," Jubilee said. "It's more area in less time."

"Totally," February said.

"Okay," Up said. "Amazon, what did the area look like when we were flying in?"

"Mountain-y," Amazon said absent-mindedly.

Up scowled. "Great."

"Well we've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started!" Bug cried enthusiastically.

"Um okay then," Taz said, "Specs, Krayonder and Jubilee, you guys go together to the west. Me, Up and Cal will go to the East and Bug, February and Amazon can go to the North."

"Before we leave, can we eat? I'm starving," Krayonder moaned.

"Sure." Up bent over the food packs and dug around in one for some dry food packets. He grabbed out one with the label "Pad Thai" and a large bowl, which he filled with water from the lake. He ripped open the packet of Pad Thai and dumped the contents into the bowl. After 2 minutes of waiting, the bowl of watery-mix turned into an edible meal. "Dig in."

Everyone grabbed their own bowl from the pack and spooned some Pad Thai in.

The meal was eaten in silence, with everyone sitting in a circle around the pile of backpacks.

Taz washed out her bowl and stuffed it back in her pack. "Vamos, we're burning daylight!"

The packs were shouldered and everyone separated into their respective groups.

"Let's meet back here in 6 days," Amazon suggested.

Everyone set their watches so that they would know when the 6 days were up.

"Good luck," Jubilee said.

Cal, Taz and Up went off in the direction of the East, walking and walking until none of the others could be seen on the horizon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Between my LAS (Lazy Author Syndrome), family deaths and graduation, my week's been jam-packed and I've seriously neglected this story. My dearest apologies. Hopefully I can get at least 1 more chapter out by next week.**

**Kateword**


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